


weight of the world-p.r.s

by lillianhtml



Category: Power Rangers Samurai
Genre: Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, F/M, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Implied/Referenced Underage Sex, Mutual Pining, Original Character(s), Slow Burn, To Be Edited, Underage Drinking, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-24
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:41:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 31
Words: 312,579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23828518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lillianhtml/pseuds/lillianhtml
Summary: When Brooke Wolfe accepted her role as the 18th generation's silver ranger- a heavy weight came crashing down on her shoulders. Not being able to remember anything before the age of twelve, even her two childhood friends, added to it. It was a weight she had to bear, and one she tried to shake as she struggled to save the world and uncover her family's secrets. Which, looking back on it, wasn't the best idea.When she came face-to-face, well, threw bark and acorns at, Jayden Shiba she realized that he had some of the same weight on his shoulders. It was a childhood friend that Brooke had no recollection of, but past feelings still resurfaced.Fighting side-by-side, Brooke and Jayden both tried to shake the weight they felt on their shoulders. Living up to family legacies and trying to not die in the process wasn't an easy thing to do. With the looming threat of Master Xandred's return, the silver and red rangers just made silent vows to protect each other. All while trying to shake the weight of the world that was suffocating them both.
Relationships: Emily/Mike (Power Rangers Samurai), Jayden Shiba/Original Female Character(s), Kevin (Power Rangers Samurai)/Mia Watanabe, Slight!Antonio Garcia/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 18
Kudos: 57





	1. brooke wolfe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seventeen-year-old and ten-year-old Jayden have a couple things in common: one being he just wants a friend. A new silver ranger appears, and the team's thrown for a loop.

The silver and red samurai rangers stood back to back, weapons raised. The red ranger held a mostly red _Zanbatō,_ which consisted of a large, wide blade attached to an extended, pole-like hilt, his Fire Smasher. The silver ranger held a silver _Kunai,_ but much larger than the traditional ones. It had a silver leaf-shaped blade and a handle with a ring on the pommel, her Wolf Kunai.

"You ready to do this, Red?" Brooke Wolfe, the eighteenth generation's silver ranger asked, her voice holding an almost teasing tone. The seventeen-year-old had wavy, shoulder-length black hair, and grey eyes. Her eyes were narrowed, flashing gold for a moment as the moogers that surrounded the two rangers inched closer. "It's technically endgame now. But don't go dying on me, you hear?" Brooke advised, the toes of her grey boots digging into the soil underneath the pair's feet as she tensed, getting ready to lunge.

The boy deemed "Red," Jayden Shiba, the eighteenth generation's red ranger, rolled his eyes, but still smiled faintly. "It's what we've been training for. Stay alive, Brooke," Jayden urged, the seventeen-year-old having brown hair and blue eyes, those blue eyes darting around the battlefield. "I love you." It was barely audible, but Brooke still picked up on it. While the two were never usually sappy on the battlefield, Jayden figured he could make an exception. Since it was endgame, as Brooke liked to call it.

Brooke grinned, revealing canines that were longer than normal humans'. "You're acting like this is the last we'll see each other," Brooke joked, but her teasing tone turned into a much more caring one. "I love you too, with all the stars and the moon. We'll make it out of this like we always do." She vowed, the moogers growing even closer.

Jayden laughed faintly. "Like we always do," He echoed in confirmation, and he got ready to lunge. "Go." He commanded, and Brooke and Jayden both took off in different directions, the battle commencing.

* * *

_Centuries ago in Japan, nighlok monsters invaded, with the intent to overtake the world. Five samurai warriors, and one that wasn't truly human, rose to the challenge to take on the nighlok, using power symbols passed from parent to child. These six warriors called themselves the Samurai Power Rangers._

For the most part of the ten-year-old girl's life, it had been white, and pain. A terrible pain that spread throughout her body and settled into her bones. The girl had also heard the whispers and faint murmurs from voices she didn't know. She had always not known much about her life, or what her fate was. Not knowing something frustrated and scared her, such as now.

Ten-year-old Brooke Wolfe clutched her father's black blazer in a tight grip, grey eyes eying the older man warily. Brooke had long black hair that was usually styled in pigtails, and she seemed to have a sharper face than most children her age. She had strong cheekbones and grey eyes that portrayed the notion that she was older than her age let on. Her canines were sharper as well, longer than a normal human's. Most adults joked that she was " _a ten year old with a woman's face"_.

Her father, Nate Wolfe, who was a man in his thirties and had the same hair and eye color as his daughter, looked down at the girl with a frown. "Sweetheart, Mentor Ji's a nice man, I promise," Nate vowed. He was dressed casually, with dark blue jeans, a dark grey shirt, and a black blazer and loafers, but dark circles and heavy bags framed his eyes, giving him the notion that he was far older than he was. "I'm sorry Ji, she's been like this since Jane died," Nate explained, running a hand over his face.

Ji, an older man in robes, smiled slightly at the scene. "It's quite alright, her caution is only natural, after all," Ji mused, taking notice of the way Brooke's eyes flashed gold for a moment, and then returned to their original grey. "She has Jane's gift as well, it seems?" He questioned, feigning shock. Of course, Ji had known that fact from the beginning- but he didn't tell Nate that.

Nate let out a heavy sigh and ran a hand over his face again. It was a tick, a nervous habit. "It's something, for lack of a better term. Luckily, Brooke's shifting doesn't truly start until she's thirteen." He explained, and Brooke looked up at her father, brows knit and eyes flashing once again.

"Daddy, he knew Mama?" Brooke asked, and Nate smiled fondly, kneeling down to his daughters' height.

"Remember when I told you that Mama was a part of a very important team, one that saved the world, like superheroes?" Nate asked his daughter, who nodded rapidly. "Well, this is the man who trained Mama and the team." He explained, and Brooke blinked at her father in confusion. Still, Brooke was a rather quiet girl, so she didn't ask questions.

As is on cue, a ten-year-old boy with dirty blonde hair and blue eyes walked into the room, instantly knitting his brows at Nate and Brooke. "Mentor… who's this?" The boy, who wore a red hoodie asked, looking up at Ji quizzically.

"This is the girl who's going to be staying with us for a year," Ji answered, and the boy beamed.

He had always wanted another friend. "I'm Jayden Shiba, nice to meet you!" Jayden introduced himself cheerfully, holding out a hand for Brooke to shake.

Brooke glanced down at Jayden's outstretched hand and then back up at Jayden, eyes flashing. She was taller than the boy, but Brooke was still hesitant. After a couple of moments, Brooke spoke in a small voice. "Brooke Wolfe. It-It's nice to meet you too." She stammered out, taking Jayden's outstretched hand with her own shaky one and shaking it.

Ji looked down at the pair, the faintest of smiles growing on his lips. "Jayden, why don't you go show Brooke around?" He asked, and Jayden nodded enthusiastically, leading Brooke around the Shiba House. Once the two were out of earshot, Ji's smile fell. "Nate, why are you keeping things from her? Brooke will have to fight the nighlok eventually, and she could stay here. Jayden could use the company, and she'll be safer here." He chided.

Nate ran a hand over his face again, letting out a sigh. "I know that, Ji. Frankly, I want that for her, but Jane had made her mind up a long time ago," Nate sounded defeated and exhausted, the dark circles and deep bags under his eyes prominent against his pale skin. "Jane left it in the will that James will have custody. Once Mary comes to pick her up from here- Brooke will, legally, not be my daughter anymore." He explained, resisting the urge to throw up. The whole thing stressed Nate out to no end, and he just wanted his daughter to be safe and happy. _And that's not going to be with him._

Ji frowned slightly. "What about you? If Brooke's anything like her mother, she'll put up a fight." The older man asked, and Nate's voice cracked when he answered.

"She won't remember me. She won't remember learning about the samurai rangers, or the fact that she's the next silver ranger. They're erasing her memories, Ji. _And I can't stop them_."

* * *

A brown wolf watched the team of samurai rangers with interest, her tail wagging slowly and gold eyes shining with curiosity. They seemed to hold their own well, despite the powerful blasts that the nighlok was firing at the five- and she spoke too soon. The nighlok had fired up a blast and fired it, hitting the team and causing them to collapse, yelling out in pain and demorphing. If the wolf could sigh, she would've.

Standing from her hiding spot, the brown wolf padded to the edge of the woods. In a series of cracking noises, the brown wolf turned into the silver ranger. She wore the traditional suit of the samurai rangers. The suit was silver in color, proudly bearing her family's crest on the left side of her chest, the crest being a crescent moon with two stars adjacent to it. Her leggings and gloves were black, but her boots were the same color as her suit. The silver ranger walked calmly towards the nighlok, wearing a grin underneath her silver helmet, which displayed the kanji for wolf on the front of it.

"Ah, so you've come to join your little team on the ground!" The nighlok sneered, raising its left arm, which was a blaster of some sort. The end of the blaster glowed a brilliant light blue, and the monster fired.

The blast was headed straight towards the silver ranger, but she remained calm, drawing her blades- which were a pair of silver katanas, and deflected the blast with ease. "Not necessarily my team- but them dying doesn't sit well with me. Also, you're going to have to do better than that if you _really_ want to knock me down." The silver ranger challenged, her grin under her silver helmet growing wider as she broke into a sprint, rushing the nighlok.

The others watched the silver ranger with a mix of shock and awe, staying quiet for a moment. That was until the green ranger, Mike broke the silence. "Jayden, who the hell is _that_?" Mike questioned his leader, his green eyes shining with curiosity.

Jayden didn't respond for a moment, keeping a steady gaze on the silver ranger. Something about her seemed familiar- he just didn't know _what._ "I… I don't know." Jayden reluctantly admitted, his brows furrowed, blue eyes unwavering from the silver ranger as she danced around the nighlok, avoiding his attacks and returning with her own.

Kevin, the blue ranger, had an even more confused look on his face. "There's nothing about a silver ranger in the archives," Kevin muttered in confusion. "She doesn't have a spin-sword as well." He added, shaking his head in disbelief.

Spin-swords were the traditional weapons of the samurai rangers, and they could use various power disks to strengthen their attacks- or change their swords into other weapons entirely. However, the silver ranger wielded dual katanas and didn't seem to use any power disks. It was extremely confusing for Jayden, the feeling of deja-vu adding to his confusion and making him somewhat annoyed.

The yellow ranger, Emily, watched the girl with awe. "It's like she's dancing," Emily remarked, and that was _yet another_ thing Jayden was confused about

The silver rangers fighting style was incredibly different from Jayden's- bouncy and flighty, she never seemed to stay in one place for too long. Jayden watched as the silver ranger performed a handspring over the nighlok's blast, landing on her feet and instantly slashing at the nighlok, sparks flying from where her katanas made contact with the monster. She didn't seem to know the teachings of how to fight, but she knew _gymnastics._ A tension headache formed, and Jayden let out a quiet groan of annoyance, feeling his head starting to pound.

However, Jayden shoved that aside as the silver ranger landed the final blow on the nighlok, the monster dying with an explosion. He quickly stood as the silver ranger sheathed her katanas in the holster on her back. The other rangers followed his lead, and when the silver ranger walked forward, they tensed, her noticing the way that the team, sans Jayden, reached for their samuraizers.

The silver ranger raised her hands slightly, signaling that she wasn't a threat. "Relax, if I wanted you dead I would've let the nighlok finish the job. Speaking of," The silver ranger spun on her heels, the nighlok having grown in size, throwing out threats. "I'm going to leave that to you guys." She motioned towards the nighlok with her thumb, starting to walk towards the woods.

"Wait!" The pink ranger, Mia called, and the silver ranger stopped in her tracks, tilting her head to the side slightly. "Aren't you going to help us? You have a zord, right?" Mia asked, and the silver ranger snorted.

" _Do I have a zord?_ That's a fantastic question," The silver ranger mocked with a teasing tone, holding up a zord. The zord was folded into a parallelogram, its body silver, with the symbol 狼, the symbol translating to wolf, in silver. "As to help you, I feel like you can handle it. I'm not one to steal kills." The ranger replied, putting her zord back into its holder, which was on the side of the black belt of her ranger suit.

"Wolf?" Kevin blurted in disbelief. "That's not an element, and the samurai rangers-"

The silver ranger cut him off. "Usually use elements, yes, I know. I don't know why _wolf is_ the one they chose, but it is what it is," She shrugged her shoulders, spinning on her heel and starting to walk through the woods. "Go fight." She urged, and just like that, she was gone.

Jayden snapped out of his thoughts, letting out a sigh. He would have to ask Ji, his mentor and somewhat of a father figure, about the silver ranger- because he had no idea. "She's right, let's handle the nighlok." He commanded, flipping open his samuraizer and drawing his own symbol- the kanji for fire hanging in front of him in a brilliant red. Activating the symbol, the familiar suit appeared on Jayden's body, the red ranger getting ready to finish the battle the silver ranger did for him.

The nighlok was defeated quickly, and Jayden trailed behind the rest of his teammates as they theorized about the silver ranger. Jayden was the eighteenth generation's red ranger. Which was a stressful role in itself, but leading a team of samurai rangers, all a mix of different personalities, proved to add to the stress.

Not that Jayden didn't dislike his team, they were all nice, it was just strange. Other than Brooke and Antonio, his only two friends when he was a child, who both left suddenly, he grew up alone, the training of the samurai drilled into him so much that he could probably recite the samurai code in his sleep. Him having four new people in his life when he was alone for years on end was a foreign concept, and his brain couldn't really decide whether that was a good or bad thing.

Jayden was snapped out of his thoughts when he accidentally bumped into a girl his age, the girl having shoulder-length wavy black hair and grey eyes that Jayden found pretty, wearing ripped blue jeans, and a light grey t-shirt underneath a leather jacket, dark grey boots adorned on her feet. "I'm sorry-" Jayden started, but the black-haired girl shook her head with a smile, showing canines that were _too long, too sharp_ to be considered normal.

"Don't apologize, things happen," The black-haired girl reassured Jayden, her gaze landing on Jayden's samuraizer, which had fallen out of his pocket and landed by the girl's booted feet, and she reached down and picked the device up. "Don't wanna be losing this." The girl held out the device towards Jayden, grinning.

It might've been his brain playing tricks on him, but Jayden was sure her eyes had flashed gold. "Thanks." He thanked, taking his samuraizer out of the girl's hand and shoving it back into his pocket. Jayden noticed that she didn't ask questions about the device, which he was grateful for. Of course, he assumed that the samuraizers just looked like chunky flip phones to pedestrians.

The girl knew exactly what the device was, it was a samuraizer. That meant the person in front of her, a boy with light brown hair and blue eyes, was a samurai ranger- and judging by his red t-shirt, he was the red ranger. Not that she judged, her main color was silver, so she just decided on different shades of grey. "It's no problem," The girl replied with a grin, turning on her heels. "I'll see you around, Red." She called over her shoulder, raising her hand in a farewell as she walked down the street.

Jayden froze at the nickname, his eyes widening ever so slightly. He remembered the nickname well- Brooke had given it to him when they were kids, she had used it more than his actual name. _But it couldn't be_ , because Jayden was told she had moved far away, and he was sure she would've remembered him. So, he summed it up to the girl just deciding on the nickname due to the color of his t-shirt. With a heavy sigh, he turned and started to join the others, who were all waiting for him with looks of confusion.

Mike was the first to speak. "What was that about? You looked a little shocked." The green ranger commented when Jayden caught up with the team.

Jayden frowned slightly. "Just someone I thought I knew." He replied nonchalantly, glancing behind him. The girl was long gone, having disappeared down the streets of Panorama.

* * *

Seventeen-year-old Brooke Wolfe took the creaky stairs that led up to where she lived two at a time, a feeling of excitement blooming in her chest. _She had found the others._ Well, she didn't introduce herself, but she had faces to go off of. "I found the other rangers," Brooke announced, bursting open the door to the apartment.

The apartment was Mary Wolfe's, who also owned the coffee shop below it, the shop proudly displaying the name of _Little Cloaks_ in red calligraphy on the large wooden sign that was on the front of the building. It was where Brooke, her brother Maxx, and Mary lived.

Mary, a woman in her forties who had greying light brown hair and light green eyes, raised her eyebrows at her niece as Brooke walked into the room. Mary was Maxx and Brooke's aunt, as the two were… refugees, in a sense. The two had run away from home when James Wolfe, a man with blond hair and blue eyes, who was Maxx and Brooke's father, grew violent. Brooke was fifteen at the time, Maxx being thirteen. Once Brooke had gotten settled in- Mary had explained to Brooke who she _truly_ was. The eighteenth generation's silver samurai ranger, who held the symbol power of the wolf.

The holders of the wolf symbol power also had special abilities. They were called shifters, the silver rangers having the ability to turn into a wolf at will with enough training and mental state. Before Brooke got told she just found it strange and shrugged it off. Shifters usually had sharper facial features than people who were fully human- including enlarged canines and claws. These features usually only revealed themselves when a shifter was about to turn into a wolf, but since the limbic system, the part of the brain that controlled emotions also controlled the ability to shift- it had its moments.

Emotions such as anger, curiosity, or fear caused a shifter to somewhat shift subconsciously. Usually, the shifting was minor- eyes flashing gold, and claws and canines growing in slightly. With extreme bursts of emotion, it was different, as the shifter could fully shift without meaning to. It was like a _fight or flight_ response _,_ in a sense.

Brooke was a shifter herself, and she realized that being a shifter was awfully sugarcoated. She couldn't remember the last time she went to a doctor, because Brooke knew hell would break loose if they had to do blood tests or something. The public usually wasn't open to the idea that someone was different from the norm, so Brooke kept it under wraps to the best of her abilities.

"You found the rangers?" Mary asked, setting down her pen from where she was doing bills at the dining room table. Also sitting at the table was Maxx Wolfe, Brooke's little brother who had the same light hair and green eyes combo as Mary, looked up from his phone and at his sister in disbelief.

"Then why aren't you doing a _samurai ranger inauguration_ or some bullshit?" Maxx questioned as Brooke took a seat, shooting her brother a playful glare, who snickered in response. "I'm just saying, they probably would be pretty interested- given you're a shifter and all." The fifteen-year-old chalked on, shutting off his phone and setting it on the table. He wasn't a shifter himself, but Maxx didn't really mind. He knew what Brooke had to deal with, and didn't want to touch it with a ten-foot pole, so he left the supernatural stuff to his sister.

Brooke drummed her fingertips on the table, her nails growing into claws slightly. "When I met the whole team, I was morphed, and just killed a nighlok and fucked off, in all honesty. I only stepped in because they got their asses kicked." She explained, and Maxx let out a snort, leaning back in his chair slightly.

However, Mary knit her brows. "When you met the whole team," The older woman echoed, looking at Brooke with a curious expression. "Did you meet one of them another time?" She asked.

Brooke nodded with a grin. "The red ranger bumped into me, and his samuraizer fell out of his pocket." The silver ranger pulled out her own samuraizer for emphasis. It was one of the older models, which was shown by the brush on the tip of the device, the samuraizer being split vertically down the middle. Other than that, it just looked like a bulky flip phone, in all honesty. It also worked as a phone- but Brooke also had a phone, because she used to be in school, and the samuraizer was difficult to explain.

Mary felt her stomach twist in a knot. She knew damn well her sister and Maxx and Brooke's mother, Jane Wolfe, was rolling in her grave right now, but pushed that aside. "Did you introduce yourself?" The older woman asked Brooke, who shook her head in response, which caused Mary to let out a small sigh of relief.

Maxx, however, found Mary's question funny, grinning. "No offense Mary, but "nice samuraizer, I have one too" would most likely cause shit to hit the fan pretty quickly." He snickered, and Brooke rolled her eyes, playfully shoving her brother's shoulder.

"Do you want to meet them? Join the team?" Mary asked Brooke, ignoring Maxx's comment.

Brooke shrugged, twirling a strand of her black hair. "'Dunno yet. But fucking with them? That's pretty fun. so I'll just continue that for now." The silver ranger replied with a grin.

* * *

At the Shiba House, which was the place where the samurai rangers trained, things weren't so lighthearted. "That was fast." Ji greeted, and Jayden shot his mentor a somewhat frazzled look, which caused the older man to knit his brows in confusion.

"It ends up being pretty quick when someone fights our battles for us," Mike muttered bitterly, taking a seat.

All of the rangers sat in what they called the "meeting room", which was where multiple cushioned seats were set up around a coffee table. It almost looked like a modern war council. Which made sense, since the rangers were _technically_ fighting a war. It just wasn't a traditional war. Jayden sat at the head, like he normally did, an empty seat next to him.

"There was another ranger," Jayden explained to Ji as he did after every battle. It was one of his many responsibilities as the red ranger. "She was the silver ranger and helped us when we got knocked down. But she left when we went into megamode power." _And is God knows where._

Kevin picked up the conversation. The blue ranger was Jayden's second-in-command and held that title proudly. "She also held a different symbol power than us-"

"The symbol power of the wolf, I'm assuming?" Ji finished, and Kevin nodded slightly. Letting out a quiet sigh, Ji started his explanation. "While the five core rangers hold elemental symbol powers, the original silver ranger tried to harness symbol power from something different. And that was a wolf, and the silver ranger did succeed, after many failed attempts. However, these failed attempts caused the silver ranger to develop a new power, the power to shift into a wolf at will." The older man explained, and the team looked at Ji in disbelief.

"Like… a werewolf?" Emily asked hesitantly, the blonde girl having confusion etched on her face.

Ji nodded. "You could put it that way, yes," He agreed and then continued. "Those who hold the power of the silver rangers call themselves shifters. They usually do a good job at blending in with humans, only certain features, such as enlarged canines reveal the truth." With that fact, Jayden felt his eyes widen slightly.

Mia's voice was skeptical as she spoke. "But if she's here, why wasn't she summoned like we were?" The pink ranger asked, and Ji grimaced slightly.

"Last time I talked to her family, she was in hiding," Ji lied. He knew that Brooke was supposed to be with James, and thought she was. Keyword: _thought_. "I had no idea she came back to Panorama." That part was the truth, at least.

After Ji had answered a couple more questions and explained the things he could, the meeting ended, the team, other than Jayden, dispersed. The red ranger let out a heavy sigh, feeling his head pound in rhythm to his heart. "I had met her," Jayden blurted, and when Ji raised his eyebrows, Jayden continued. "I had bumped into her, and my samuraizer fell out of my pocket, and she had grabbed it. But she didn't say anything about it- she just gave it back to me and walked away. But _why?_ " He asked nobody in particular, and Ji made a snap decision.

"You had met her before," Ji replied, wearing a small smile. Jayden made a noise of confusion, looking at his mentor skeptically. "Brooke." The older man explained, and Jayden's eyes widened.

The red ranger stood on his feet quickly, a strange sense of happiness filling his chest. "Brooke as in Brooke Wolfe, right?" Jayden blurted, and when Ji nodded, he felt his happiness die out. "She didn't say anything." He muttered, his lips twitching into a frown.

"She wouldn't remember you, Jayden," Ji spoke softly, and Jayden looked almost _heartbroken_ , any enthusiasm he had leaving his body. "It's not her fault, her family did something with her memories- I don't know why." It was another lie, but he didn't want to break Jayden's spirit more.

The two ten-year-olds were always glued at the hip, and it was easy to tell that Jayden grew attached to Brooke. When Brooke had to leave- he had cried his eyes out, holding onto his friend's hand like a lifeline. Ji noticed that those feelings had never left Jayden, even seven years later. It was endearing and rather saddening.

Jayden shook away his negative emotions. It was still Brooke, and Jayden could find a way to get her memories back. As to how he wasn't really sure yet, but still. It could happen. "Still, we have to find Brooke. For the team," He urged, trying to tell himself that it was for the team. That it _wasn't_ because he wanted one of his best friends back. "She can hold her own well, and it would be nice to have the power advantage." Jayden chalked on, and Ji saw right through Jayden's excuse.

Jayden's excitement had returned, increasing tenfold and starting a strong fire in his heart. It was a fire that was going to end up burning him if he wasn't careful, and Ji knew that. Still, he'd never seen Jayden look this excited since he was little. So, the older man let Jayden Shiba burn on.


	2. samurai rangers and a wolf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brooke Wolfe throws acorns at Jayden Shiba and continues to act cryptically- the team gains a new member.

Brooke walked down the streets of Panorama, people watching. She had no set destination, so she let her booted feet carry her down the now familiar streets. She usually trained in the mornings before Maxx left for school, and then after her brother left, she was left to her own devices. Brooke had graduated early- her junior year, cramming in summer classes and getting her credits and diploma quickly. She knew that once the nighlok attacks started to get more frequent, she wouldn't have time for high school anymore.

The lack of structure was freeing, but also a little strange. While Mary was her guardian, she knew that Brooke wasn't one to get into trouble. _Well at least, not anymore._ Stepping into an arcade, Brooke's grey eyes landed on a boy bent over one of the arcade machines, pressing buttons with skill. It was one of the people from yesterday when Brooke stepped in before the nighlok could- meaning that he was a ranger.

The green one, in fact, as Brooke concluded by the object connected to one of the belt loops of his black jeans. To a normal person, the zord could be seen as a keychain of sorts, but Brooke knew better, her eyes flashing gold as she subconsciously played with her zord in the pocket of her black cardigan, Brooke's zord being the wolf zord.

The other ranger had a zord, which had 木, which was the kanji for tree, on it in green. _But why was he here, and not with the other rangers?_ Shrugging it off, Brooke tore her eyes away from the green ranger and pretended to be busy, pulling out her phone as two people strolled up to the green ranger. She guessed that the two were the green ranger's friends, but they weren't rangers. Being near other rangers always caused a strange feeling to envelop her, and the two didn't trigger that.

Brooke had come to the conclusion that other rangers lived in the city when she had found one of the sensors the team used to detect nighlok and connected her samuraizer to the system. Her samuraizer was now linked with the sensors, and every time they got triggered, her samuraizer beeped. She had a small map of Panorama on the device and the area where the nighlok was usually had a red dot on it, and Brooke prided herself on being much quicker than the other rangers, getting to the scene before they could.

Of course, her heightened senses helped as well. With Brooke's ability to shift, her human form had some animalistic characteristics as well. With a heightened sense of hearing and smell, it helped her locate the nighlok quicker. Every creature had a smell, and nighlok was no different. Even if normal humans couldn't smell it, Brooke could. Not that she really wanted to, it was a disgusting smell, a mix of death and rotten milk, but pros and cons. Her sense of hearing had some drawbacks as well, as it made her more susceptible to loud noises, and Brooke's helmet had extra padding around her ears to help combat the noises of battle. However, it did make eavesdropping easier.

Such as now, Brooke leaning against one of the far walls of the arcade, keeping one eye on the green ranger as she pretended to look busy on her phone. With very little difficulty she could hear across the small arcade, and that gave her the ability to look less suspicious. While it was a little loud, the green ranger's voice stood out against the rest. "Now that's what I call sensing an attack!" The green ranger cheered, and Brooke felt the corners of her lips twitch.

"Hey, Mike," The green ranger's- Mike's friend started, and Brooke glanced at him, putting a face to a name. Mike had brown hair which was spiked up, pierced ears, and green eyes with somewhat tanned skin. Quickly returning her gaze to her phone, Brooke pretended to look busy again. "What's with you? You're not a school, you're not a home, and you didn't even come to graduation." Mike's friend remarked, and the green ranger sighed.

 _At least you got to graduate on time_ , Brooke thought bitterly but pushed those thoughts aside when Mike answered. "It's a long story." He answered quickly- an answer he had used many times before.

It was a half-assed excuse that Brooke was glad that she didn't have to use anymore. Her main social circle, which consisted of Casper Green, Maxx, and Mary, all knew about her being a ranger, and that was all the people she really talked to- so it was fairly stress-free. Which was nice, Brooke didn't have to worry about hiding her identity that much anymore, and being out of school did help, even if she somewhat missed the normalcy of it.

Casper Green was what Brooke called her best friend, and she was grateful that he stuck around- even after a nighlok attacked them on prom night of their junior year. Brooke had explained everything to him, and he took it in stride. Casper had even claimed he would protect Brooke, which they both knew was not true, but it was a running joke. Casper was a big brother to both of the Wolfe siblings, as the two had staked out at his house when James, their father, got too violent. His mother was welcoming as well, and those acts of kindness kept Brooke alive. The silver ranger never told Casper- but she owed him a lot, and vowed to keep him as safe as he could be. He deserved it.

"C'mon, dude, tell us." Mike's other friend urged, and Brooke raised an eyebrow, her eyes flashing momentarily when Mike sighed and led them to a quieter area.

Brooke shadowed the three boys as stealthily as she could, which wasn't very hard since it was a Sunday and the streets were somewhat crowded- which was something Brooke didn't like, it was overwhelming for her senses. She wondered if that's why her mom chose to live in Greensbrook, Brooke's hometown, instead of Panorama. The rural town was much quieter, and Brooke somewhat missed it. But still, Brooke knew she had a job to do here, so she just dealt with the headache and kept walking forward.

"I joined this great team," Mike started, and Brooke sat in one of the plastic chairs a couple of feet away from the trio. "They're all so talented. It's overwhelming." The green ranger complained with a sigh, and Brooke clicked her tongue.

It would make sense, and Brooke didn't judge him. Living with others always caused a sense of competition to arise- and Brooke guessed it was very overwhelming. It wasn't just about grades or whoever helped out around the house the most anymore, it was about saving the world. The hesitation- the feelings of inadequacy could get someone killed. Being a ranger was extremely stressful, and Brooke wouldn't wish it on anyone. Fighting to live another day, and to save the world didn't get easier as time went on.

Crossing her leg over her knee, Brooke texted Casper. She knew her friend would be in class, but also knew that he didn't really care. It was his senior year anyway, and most of the classes he took were "easy-A" classes, which gave Brooke the ability to text him throughout the day, which was nice. Having a third person look at the situation was nice, even if Casper just cracked jokes.

**Brooke** _: i found the green ranger._

**Casper** _: :0 why don't you just stroll up and introduce yourself?_

**Casper** _: just be like "you like the color green? I like the color silver haha we're both rangers, get it?" and then boom, ur on the team. I dunno why you didnt do it the first time. It's a foolproof plan_

**Brooke** _: that might get me impaled with a sword, tbh. but still, it's technically all still speculation, and while he has a zord, idk really._

**Brooke** _: plus, he's with friends, and i know for a fact that you shouldn't reveal being a ranger to only friends- it's a direct family sort of deal_

**Casper** _: wolfie really out here breaking codes, huh? damn, imma enjoy my special privilege as ur friend ;)_

**Brooke** _: you better ;;;;)))))_

Smiling at her friend's antics, Brooke turned her attention back to the conversation Mike was having. "C'mon, don't sweat it. You're the best gamer around!" Mike's first friend complimented, and the green ranger looked at him quizzically while Brooke snorted. So, they thought he was a professional gamer. Their naivety was almost amusing. "You always predict their moves and lay down some great final attack." The first friend and the second friend high-fived, and Mike only sunk down in his chair.

"I can't sense an attack like Kevin," Mike grumbled, and Brooke felt herself grin.

She had two of the rangers' names, and it made her job easier in the long run. Perhaps finding out information about the other five samurai rangers was going to be easier than she first thought. It seems like they were trying to be discreet, but it wasn't really working.

"Who's Kevin?" Friend number two asked, and Mike seemed to be lost in his own little world.

"I won't go back until I've mastered this technique," Mike thought aloud. "I won't let my team down!" The green ranger vowed, and Brooke laughed quietly.

Well, he has the spirit. "I've never seen you this serious before." Friend number one stated, his eyes wide as friend number two shoved some Chinese takeout food in his mouth.

"Well, you better get used to it," Mike fired back, green eyes shining with pride. "Protecting the world from evil is a big deal." He stated the obvious, and Brooke nearly choked by holding in her laughter. She knew Mike was being serious, but his friends not understanding just made it funny.

Getting up to leave, as Brooke got the information she needed, her eyes widened, and she felt her fingernails grow into claws as one of the cracks in the stone tile started glowing red. The red line zipped around for a couple of moments before landing under a woman's chair, Brooke watching as the nighlok's large hands grabbed the plastic chair.

The nighlok fully appeared, lifting up the chair and the woman in it with ease, Brooke subconsciously reaching for her samuraizer. On cue, the device started beeping, and luckily it wasn't heard over the screams of terror. "Hold onto your seats! This is gonna get wild!" The nighlok cackled, throwing the chair, and the woman with ease.

Brooke watched as the nighlok's arms grew, and her eyes widened. This was new. She had fought a couple of nighlok because the other rangers were slow at getting to the scene most times, but she had never seen one like this before. The nighlok punched one person, knocking them down, and wrapped his elongated arm around a man, drawing him to the monster.

Brooke debated shifting or morphing but decided against it when Mike morphed and ran forward, the green suit materializing on his body. She stepped back and let the green ranger take charge, only crouching behind some bushes, gold eyes watching the battle with full interest as Mike and the nighlok fought.

The nighlok called Mike a "broccoli colored bum", which Brooke found funny, but she cringed when it hit Mike and sent him flying, the green ranger landing on his stomach. If the other rangers were coming, they were rather slow, Brooke thought as she tightened her grip on her samuraizer, which was in the pocket of her cardigan.

When the nighlok's arms broke through the ground, Brooke was grateful for her wolf senses. She knew they would come in handy for this fight when she did step in. With her heightened sense of smell, she could sometimes predict where the nighlok was going to move or land thanks to the smells it gave off. However, Mike didn't have that advantage, and Brooke almost couldn't watch as the green ranger tried to get on his feet, only to get punched down every time.

Mike even jumped to the top of a building, and the nighlok still hit him. He hit the ground, hard, and Brooke knew for a fact the ranger suits didn't have that much padding. It was still going to bruise, but her attention snapped away from Mike when Brooke heard someone let out a yell.

"That's enough!" Jayden yelled, leaping into battle. "You've worn out your welcome!" He challenged, emphasizing every word with a strike of his sword. However, the red ranger got hit as well, and Brooke cringed again. This wasn't turning out well, but she knew it wasn't her time to step in yet.

Jayden hit the ground, gritting his teeth when pain flared through his body. He heard Mike call his name, but ignored it, forcing himself to rise to his feet. His ribs hurt- but, it is what it is. It's not like he could bench himself, after all. He just had to keep fighting, like he always did.

The nighlok noticed Jayden struggling to stand and cackled. "Even the red ranger can't see what's going on underground." The nighlok sneered, and the other three rangers ran up, joining the team.

"Are you guys okay?" Emily asked, her voice laced with concern, and Jayden nodded, him and Mike rising to their feet and readying their spin swords.

"Yeah, let's take this guy-" Jayden started, but was cut off by Brooke putting her fingers to her mouth and letting out a loud whistle, which gained the attention of the nighlok and the team of rangers.

As Brooke grinned, Jayden felt his eyes widen underneath the red helmet. Ji was right, Jayden remembered that look on her face- the look that meant she was going to start something. He was partly concerned but intrigued. Jayden trusted Brooke, she seemed to know what she was doing and radiated confidence.

The nighlok didn't seem to notice the silver ranger's confidence and snickered. "Oh, so a new player has joined! More people I can thump!" The nighlok challenged, and Brooke said nothing, only tapping into her wolf senses as the nighlok's arms went underground.

Kevin made a move to run over, but Jayden placed his hand in front of the blue ranger's chest, stopping Kevin in his tracks. "She's confident, let her try." Jayden urged, and Kevin moved to protest, but then nodded reluctantly and stepped back.

Jayden turned his attention back to Brooke, breaking into a small smile, he was happy, seeing one of his best friends after seven years, even if it was on a battlefield. But it was better than nothing, and Jayden watched as Brooke seemed to put her plan into motion, moving quickly as the nighlok's fists burst through the ground. Brooke easily performed a somersault over one of the nighlok's fists, doing a backflip over the other, landing on her feet with a flourish. Not missing a beat, she took her samuraizer out of the pocket of her cardigan, and flipped the device open, activating the brush portion.

"It's showtime! _Samuraizer: Go Go Samurai_!" Brooke called confidently, drawing the familiar symbol. The silver kanji for wolf hung in the air for a moment, and then Brooke activated it, the silver suit appearing on her body. Drawing her katanas, the silver ranger spun one of the swords in her hand, pointing the other one at the nighlok. "Not so scary now, huh?" She mocked teasingly, wearing a grin underneath her silver helmet.

The nighlok grew angry at the silver ranger's words, letting out a growl, which Brooke laughed at. "Even without my surprise attacks, I can still pummel you!" The nighlok snapped, and Brooke settled into a fighting stance.

"I'd like to see you try!" Brooke challenged, running forward. It was rather easy when the nighlok was unable to catch her by surprise, and she made sure not to stay in one spot, twirling around with her blades. Blocking the nighlok's fists, she kicked out, her booted foot connecting with the monster and causing it to stagger back.

The other rangers watched in awe. "Jayden, how did you know that she was the silver ranger?" Emily asked as Brooke's blades and suit shone in the light, the silver ranger dancing around the nighlok.

Not feeling up to explaining everything right now, Jayden decided to leave his answer somewhat cryptic. "Intuition." He replied, and Brooke hopped away from a fist bursting out of the ground, sheathing her blades and shifting, the brown wolf lunging at the nighlok.

"Well, whatever it was," Mike retorted, resting his spin-sword on his shoulder. "She's different from us, her fighting style is different. And she doesn't have a spin-sword like us, either." The green ranger commented, watching as Brooke shifted back and performed a backwards handspring over a nighlok's fist.

"Whoever she is, she's confident," Kevin muttered, Brooke charging the nighlok with her own taunts, laughing whenever the nighlok missed.

Mia glanced at Kevin. "Well, we all would be confident if we could predict a nighlok's moves like that. And turn into a wolf." On cue, wolf-Brooke let out a series of barks, landing the final blow and shifting back into a human.

The nighlok greyed, cracks appearing over its body, meaning that it was going to return to the Sanzu River. "Uh oh, looks like I'm drying out! Guess I'll have to punch you another time! Later rangers!" The nighlok threatened, disappearing into a crack.

Once the nighlok disappeared fully, Brooke turned her attention to the team, demorphing, revealing a girl with shoulder-length wavy black hair and grey eyes, who was wearing a light grey t-shirt underneath a dark grey cardigan that came down to her mid-thigh, ripped blue jeans and black doc martens. Brooke already knew what game she was going to play with them- and she was excited.

"Start talking," Kevin demanded, the team still morphed.

Brooke scoffed. "Feeling the warm welcome. Anyways, no," Brooke grinned, revealing her enlarged canines, eyes flashing gold momentarily. "See ya next battle!" She called over her shoulder, and before the rangers could even process what was going on, Brooke was sprinting down the streets of Panorama.

Jayden quickly demorphed. "You guys head back to the Shiba House and tell Ji what's going on," He commanded, his blue eyes trained on Brooke's retreating form. "I'm going after her." Before he could get an answer, he was off as well, converse pounding on the streets. He knew she was viewing this as a game, and Jayden did what he did when they were kids.

He played along.

* * *

Jayden had followed Brooke into the woods, and that's when he lost sight of her. Which was concerning, because she could easily- an acorn hit Jayden in the forehead, and his attention snapped to where the direction it came from, leveling a glare at the silver ranger.

Brooke sat on one of the higher branches of a tree, about three feet up from Jayden, and she readied another acorn, swinging her legs slowly. "You know the implications about chasing a girl down the streets, right?" She mocked, throwing the acorn at Jayden, who was prepared this time and swatted it away. "Whaddya want, Red? You're awfully persistent, I'll give you that." Brooke raised her eyebrows at the red ranger, picking a piece of bark off of the tree and getting ready to throw that.

Jayden let out a sigh. This was going to be harder than he thought. "You're Brooke, right?" Jayden swatted away the piece of bark and watched as Brooke froze, tensing. "Brooke Wolfe?" He questioned, and Brooke's eyes flashed, Jayden watching as she sunk her claws into the branch underneath her.

"How the hell do you know that?" Brooke growled, getting ready to launch herself off of the branch and tackle Jayden to the ground.

Jayden noticed this and raised his hands in surrender quickly. "Listen, this is going to sound stupid, but, we were childhood friends, that's how I know you. I recognize you." He explained, and Brooke's expression turned from one of anger to one of curiosity.

"How old was I?" Brooke asked, quirking a brow, eyes flashing again. Anything after twelve she could call bullshit on- but hell, the red ranger seemed genuine. It was confusing.

"Ten. We both were, and you stayed with us for a year," Jayden answered, lowering his hands. "And I know you're missing memories." He added, and Brooke pursed her lips.

"You know that how?" Brooke questioned. While it could be a possibility- she couldn't remember anything before twelve, and her gut was saying to trust the red ranger, Brooke had to be sure. She wouldn't allow herself to fall into some sort of trap. "For all I know, you and your little rainbow brigade hold some responsibility for my missing memories." She kept her gaze trained on Jayden, watching for any signs of tension that signaled he was going to try and attack.

He didn't, Jayden just stood there in a red t-shirt with a grey overcoat, blue jeans, and grey converse. "We didn't," Jayden blurted, and Brooke raised an eyebrow. "Brooke, I'm being serious. I promise." He vowed, and Brooke's eyes flashed.

"Fake promises are a thing, Red. But," Brooke let out a sigh. He seemed too nice to want to jump her, and the way he grew excited was kind of cute, in all honesty. "I'll go with my gut on this one. What's your name?"

Jayden felt happiness rise in his chest. It wasn't as hard as he thought it would be. "Jayden. Jayden Shiba, red ranger." He introduced himself, and Brooke snorted, jumping down from the branch and landing on the forest floor.

"Oh, so we're doing the _bullshit titles_ now?" The silver ranger snickered. "Well, I feel obliged to, now. I'm Brooke Wolfe. The silver ranger of this generation, and the only one who holds the power to shift into a wolf at will." Brooke introduced herself with a flourish, and Jayden felt the corners of his lips twitch. "So, what's your ulterior motive, Red? You couldn't have chased me all the way out here just to say that we were childhood friends."

Jayden let out a sigh. "I want you to join the team," He answered, and Brooke furrowed her brows. Noticing her confused expression, Jayden continued. "We both know the nighlok are getting stronger, and you can't fight them alone forever." He chided, and Brooke crossed her arms over her chest, eyes flashing.

"Well, _duh doy_ ," Brooke shot back, and Jayden raised his eyebrows. "But you technically just met me after what- seven years? And then instantly come to a conclusion like that?" She snapped her fingers for emphasis, casting Jayden a curious look. "Seems kind of sketchy."

"It's not- listen, Brooke," Jayden couldn't tell if she was being serious or just messing with him. He knew that with her, both could be an option. "I'm being serious. There's no hidden plan, I just trust you." He confessed.

Brooke raised a brow. "You realize I could easily use that trust and manipulate you, right?" She retorted, meeting Jayden's blue eyes with her own grey-gold ones.

"You wouldn't," Jayden replied confidently. "If you wanted to harm us, you would've attacked us when we were weakened by the nighlok." That was strategy, which was something he could understand easily. Understanding seventeen-year-old Brooke Wolfe was not.

"I could be a deep-cover agent," Brooke fired back, and when Jayden let out an annoyed sigh, she snickered. "Relax, I'm fucking with you. You're fun to mess with," Patting the red ranger on the shoulder, she deflected his glare with a cheeky smile. However, the smile fell, Brooke's eyes flashing and the silver ranger putting on an air of seriousness. "Are you sure you want me to join your team? I'm not human." Brooke questioned, raising a clawed hand for emphasis.

Jayden nodded. "I still technically have to run it over with the others and Ji, because it was a whim decision," Ignoring Brooke's smart remark of "excellent planning", the red ranger turned to the silver. "I'm not forcing you into a decision, but would you come to the Shiba House- at least to meet the others? If you don't feel safe, you can leave then." He asked, and Brooke raised a brow, eyes settling on a mixture of grey and gold.

"Shiba House? Sounds like a frat house," Brooke commented with a grin, Jayden rolling his eyes. "I'm joking. Lead the way, Red. I don't have anything to lose." She motioned for Jayden to start walking, hooking her thumbs on the belt loops of her jeans.

Jayden started walking, and so did Brooke. He noticed the silver ranger's footsteps made no noise, despite the fallen leaves and small twigs. Summing it up to her being a shifter, Jayden pushed that thought aside, the two rangers walking side by side.

Upon reaching the Shiba House, Brooke let out a low whistle, looking at the large wooden building curiously. "Looks like a frat house," She muttered, her gaze sliding to Jayden. "So, what's your team like? Are you leading me to actually get skewered?" Brooke questioned, and Jayden noticed the tension in her body that she tried to hide as gravel crunched under the pair's feet.

He didn't blame Brooke for being nervous, Jayden would be too if their roles were reversed. He took notice of her clawed fingernails and the way her canines peeked under her upper lip ever so slightly. She was ready to defend herself if needed, and that was clear by her body language.

"They're all nice people," Jayden replied, and Brooke shot him an exasperated look, raising her brows. "Trust me, at least a little bit." He pleaded, and Brooke let out a sigh, running a clawed hand over her face.

"If I get killed, I'm going to personally raise hell from beyond the grave, Red," Brooke grumbled, and Jayden let out a light laugh, the two rangers walking into the Shiba House.

* * *

The sounds of footsteps on the wooden floors caused the rest of the team to perk up. Jayden led Brooke to the others, the silver ranger standing closest to the exit, shoving her hands into the pockets of her cardigan, wrapping her hand around her samuraizer subconsciously. She surveyed the Shiba House- partly for traps and partly because the wooden floors did bring up some unknown emotions that Brooke couldn't place.

Jayden had left to go collect Ji, which the red ranger explained that he was the rangers' mentor and caretaker of the Shiba House. The lack of a familiar face was unnerving for Brooke, but she tried to release the tension in her body as she inspected the team. They were looking at her with expressions that were a mix of confusion and curiosity- and Brooke didn't sense any hostility from them. Which was a good start.

"So, you're Jayden's childhood friend, yeah?" Mike blurted, and Kevin shot him a look of "be respectful".

Brooke broke into a grin, a fake one, but the others didn't know the difference. "I am," She agreed, eyes flashing. "Don't worry, I'm not planning on hurting your precious red ranger, I'm just curious." She confessed, and Kevin furrowed his brows.

"If you're curious, why did you run away from us after the nighlok dried out?" Kevin argued, the silver ranger's grin growing wider.

"Entertainment," Brooke replied simply, snickering at their confused expressions. "It's enjoyable watching you all run circles around me. Though the first time was because I didn't necessarily feel like getting questioned, the second was for fun." She explained, shrugging nonchalantly.

"You always enjoyed your games, Brooke," The older man in robes walked in with a staff, and Brooke guessed that it was Ji, Jayden trailing behind him slightly. "Welcome back." Ji greeted softly, and Brooke nodded.

Relaxing her body fully, Brooke took her hands out of her pockets. So, Jayden wasn't lying- well, if he was, Brooke congratulated him for making it so convincing. "Glad to be here- for the second time, I guess," Brooke responded, turning her gaze to the team. "So, I assume you guys have questions, but I would like you guys to introduce yourselves if that's alright? I know Red and Mike." She pointed to the two respective rangers, the team looking at Jayden quizzically at the nickname.

Jayden shrugged with a small smile. "She called me it when we were kids, there's really nothing wrong with it." He remarked.

Realization dawned on Brooke's face, and she looked at Jayden, wearing a genuine smile. "That's why it felt familiar. Glad to see I haven't really changed in seven years," She joked, and then returned her gaze to the team. "But, if that's alright with you all, would you introduce yourselves?" Brooke asked, and the team nodded, going through introductions, and Brooke introduced herself fully.

Emily looked at Brooke with sympathy. "You really got your memories erased?" She asked, her voice kind.

Brooke nodded, letting out a heavy sigh as her eyes flashed. "Anything before twelve is just blank, it's frustrating." She ran a clawed hand over her face.

Mia noticed her inhumane features. "So, you're really a shifter." The pink ranger concluded, and the silver grinned.

"The one for this generation of silver rangers, anyways. Have been since as long as I remember, which is technically only five years, but it is what it is, I guess." Brooke answered, and this time Ji spoke.

"May I see your samuraizer?" The older man asked, and Brooke's eyes flashed.

After a couple of moments, she nodded hesitantly, fishing the device out of her pocket and handing it to Ji. A series of barks were heard, and Jayden watched in amusement as the wolf zord appeared from Brooke's pocket in a flash of silver. The mechanical wolf let out a whine, its metal ears flattening against its head and tail in between its legs.

"It's alright, bud, they're not a threat." Brooke soothed her zord, holding out her hand. The wolf zord landed in its owner's palm, tail wagging slowly as it surveyed its surroundings. After a couple of moments, it deemed that the area was safe and folded back up into its parallelogram. Brooke smiled at her zord's antics and tucked it back into the pocket of her cardigan.

Ji held the samuraizer out to Brooke, who took it, her fingernails returning to normal. "That's Jane's, and I thought it was lost in battle, along with the wolf zord," Ji remarked, and Brooke raised her brows, shaking her head.

"I got this from Mary- my aunt and now guardian when I came to Panorama. And the wolf zord and my katanas." Brooke explained, sticking her samuraizer back into her pocket.

Jayden quirked a brow. "When you came to Panorama? I was told you moved away." The red ranger stated.

Brooke chewed on her bottom lip. "Well, I can't remember much, but, I'm from Greensbrook, technically, I came here when I was fifteen. That's when I found out that I was the silver ranger, and me being a shifter fully." She answered, trying to cycle back on her memories, cursing silently when she got the usual blankness. It was aggravating, to say the least.

"Why did you wait to show yourself though? You have a samuraizer, you could've joined us earlier." Emily asked, a kind expression on her face, and Jayden watched in concern as Brooke tensed, her eyes flashing and claws growing in.

Swallowing past the lump in her throat, Brooke struggled to find the right words. "Me leaving Greensbrook was an act of a refugee, in a sense. I-I needed to make sure everything was safe," She sucked in a sharp breath. "I know that means I missed out on official training or whatever, but I had my reasons for staying in hiding." She explained, and Jayden shot a confused look at his mentor, who only responded with his own.

"So that explains your fighting style," Mike remarked with a grin. "How you're all, y'know, flippy." The green ranger summarized, and Brooke raised her eyebrows.

"Flippy. First time I've heard that one," Brooke echoed, shaking her head with a small smile. "To explain, I've been dancing professionally for almost six years now, and to make up for lack of training, I took the moves I was comfortable with from dance. Just… adapted them for battle. It's been-" She was cut off by her samuraizer beeping, Brooke quickly pulling the device out of her pocket and flipping it open, pulling up the map of Panorama.

Jayden furrowed his brows, looking at the silver ranger quizzically. "What's wrong?" He asked, and Brooke's eyes flashed.

"The nighlok's back," Brooke murmured. "Why do you all- fuck," She jumped in surprise when the gap sensor started screaming, nearly dropping her samuraizer. "I connected my samuraizers to your sensors, but I didn't know you had a fucking alarm system."

Jayden let out a small laugh as he tapped the coffee table. "Smart," He praised as the map appeared, the red dot signaling the nighlok attack flashing. "Panorama Plaza." He declared, and before the team could run off, Brooke spoke again.

"Wait," Brooke called softly, biting her bottom lip as she scanned the map. "I know a shortcut from here. If we go this way," She traced a route on the map with her finger. "It'll cut our time down having to reach the destination. Plus, I can shift, and that will make it quicker as well. It's up to you guys, though." She tacked on quickly, scanning the other's expressions.

Mike shrugged. "Fine by me. Jayden?" The green ranger asked the red.

Jayden nodded curtly. "Lead the way, Brooke." He answered, and Brooke beamed, nodding quickly and sprinting out of the Shiba House.

As soon as Brooke burst through the doors, she allowed herself to shift, her bones making the familiar cracking sounds. The brown wolf barked at the team, tail wagging as she sprinted off, the team shadowing her.

* * *

The shortcut did cut their time down, and Brooke shifted back, skidding to a stop as she surveyed the area. Big Hands McGee- the nighlok from before was back, and this time it had moogers as back up. Instantly, she reached for her samuraizer and flipped the device open, the samuraizer making its signature noise as the rest of the team ran up, forming their usual line, Brooke in between Mike and Jayden.

"That was a good shortcut, thanks, Brooke!" Emily said cheerfully, and Brooke smiled faintly in response.

Grey eyes flashed gold as the silver ranger thought up a plan. "Hey Mike, you're speedy, right?" Brooke asked the green ranger, grinning when Jayden shot her a confused look. "Trust me. Handle the moogers, We'll get him tangled." She explained quickly, and Jayden nodded.

"Yeah, why?" Mike answered, furrowing his brows at the silver ranger.

"We're gonna play a game of tag," Brooke replied, and Mike seemed to understand the girl's plan.

The green ranger broke into a grin. "Hell yeah! Just say the word!" Mike agreed, and Brooke flashed him a thumbs up before nodding at Jayde, who smiled faintly as he called out the command.

_"Samuraizer: Go Go Samurai!"_

The six rangers drew their respective symbols, the kanji floating in front of each of the rangers, the team quickly activating them. The familiar suits appeared on each of the ranger's bodies, and with that, the battle commenced. Brooke and Mike rushed forward, handing the main nighlok as the others dealt with the moogers.

Brooke tapped into her wolf senses, clearing her mind as the nighlok taunted the silver and green rangers. "You two again? You're about to develop a bad case of fistophobia!" The nighlok cackled.

The silver ranger perked up, honing in on the scent. "Move to the left!" Brooke yelled to MIke, and the green ranger nodded.

Mike swerved to the left and Brooke hopped to the right, avoiding the nighlok's fists that had burst out of the ground. Brooke had shifted, barking at the green ranger and sprinting off, Mike at the brown wolf's heels. With that, the game of tag began.

The two rangers- well, one ranger and a wolf, sprinted through parking garages, the green ranger shadowing wolf-Brooke as she avoided various obstacles. Once the two reached the edge of the parking garage, they hopped down, Mike rolling over his shoulder as they landed on a worn mattress. With a bark from the brown wolf, the two started running again, weaving in and out of pillars. It was going like how Brooke planned it, and she thanked Mike for being so speedy.

The green and silver rangers had run in a full circle, now facing the nighlok again. "Did you miss us?" Mike taunted, and Brooke shifted back, drawing her katanas. It was Mike's turn now, the green ranger having muttered his plan to Brooke as they were running.

"Maybe, but I won't miss you this time!" The nighlok challenged, and Brooke felt her senses perk again, her eyes widening slightly. She moved quickly, body slamming Mike out of the way and blocking the nighlok's fist with her katanas, Brooke gritting her teeth and rooting her booted her feet on the ground. "So you stopped one punch. But I've got two arms!" The monster sneered, and the second fist came flying in, catching Brooke in the stomach.

The silver ranger let out a yell of pain as she got slammed into one of the concrete pillars of the parking garage. The concrete cracked from the force, and spots decorated Brooke's vision for a moment. She silently apologized to her own ribs and back, knowing damn well they were going to bruise.

"Brooke!" Mike and Jayden yelled in unison, and Brooke groaned.

She luckily had a tight grip on her katanas, Brooke dropping one blade, and wrapping both of her hands around the hilt of the other, snapping her gaze to Mike. "GO!" She screamed at Mike, raising her katana over her head and bringing it straight down on the nighlok's arm.

That, combined with Mike flipping over the nighlok and making the monster punch itself in the face gave Brooke enough room to move. Yanking her katana out of the nighlok's arm, she moved quickly, grabbing her other katana and moving to Jayden's side quickly. Mike had used his Forest Vortex move on the nighlok, and it caused the monster to explode.

Jayden shot Brooke a look of concern under his red helmet as Brooke staggered somewhat. "Are you okay?" He asked, and Brooke nodded.

"Just bruising, I've survived worse," Brooke replied, the two rangers sheathing their blades.

The others were congratulating Mike, but soon the happy atmosphere dropped when the nighlok grew in size. "C'mon Brooke, show us what your wolf zord is made of!" Mike exclaimed cheerfully, nodding to Brooke.

When Jayden nodded confirmation, Brooke grinned underneath her helmet. "Let's go bud, it's showtime! _Wolf Folding Zord: Megamode Power_!" Brooke called out, throwing her wolf zord into the air and drawing the symbol that allowed her to go into megamode.

Not long after, Brooke found herself in the cockpit of her wolf zord, folding up her megablade and sticking it into the control panel. The wolf zord let out a happy bark, the zord, and its owner easily dodging the nighlok's fists and returning with their own attacks.

After landing one last normal attack on the nighlok, Brooke took her megablade out of the control panel of her zord, yelling out the attack. " _Silver Claws!_ " The wolf zord's claws grew and sharpened, and as Brooke thrust her megablade forward, the zord lunged. As the nighlok exploded, the wolf zord raised its head to the sky, letting out a howl. "And that's the final act," Brooke concluded, wearing a happy smile as she lowered her megablade.

* * *

Once back on the ground, Brooke was slightly overwhelmed, letting out a noise of surprise when Mike clapped her on the shoulder rather forcefully. The force sent her stumbling forward, and Jayden grabbed Brooke by the elbow before she could fall.

"Not running away this time?" Jayden asked, his eyebrows raised and wearing a small smile, and Brooke rolled her eyes.

"Incredibly funny, Red. Maybe you should quit the ranger business and become a comedian," The silver ranger retorted, and Jayden shook his head with a small smile. "I think I'm staying if that's alright with you all?" Brooke asked, her eyes flashing as she scanned the team.

"I have no objections, havin' a werewolf on the team would be pretty cool," Mike grinned at the silver ranger, who shot him a playful glare. "And you're pretty cool, Brooke." He added, and Brooke snorted, returning his fist-bump.

"It _would_ be pretty nice to have another girl on the team," Mia added, sharing a look with Emily, who nodded enthusiastically, smiling warmly at Brooke.

That left Kevin and Jayden. The blue ranger looked conflicted, but after a couple of moments, plus the others staring at him, he cracked, a small smile on his face. "You would be a strong addition to the team. I have no objections." Kevin stated, and Brooke turned her gaze to Jayden, who had a smile on his face.

"Welcome, Brooke Wolfe, Silver Samurai Ranger," Jayden answered her silent question, and Brooke nodded confidently, a genuine smile growing on her face.

"I won't let you guys down."


	3. dreams come true

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With a nighlok appearing that creates false hope in a young boy, Brooke wishes for a normal family. Baseball games and burnt chicken ensue.

The weeks Brooke spent on the team after first joining were rather peaceful, if peaceful could be used when there was a looming threat of a war that got closer every day. Still, the silver ranger found herself getting along with all of the rangers. It was the first time in almost a year she was around so many people all of the time since she had graduated early, she made sure she made her presence in Panorama somewhat discreet. The last thing she wanted to be someone from her school finding out what she was doing now and the fact that she said she was starting college early was a lie. It was foreign, yes, extremely so, but she wasn't complaining.

Jayden was the one she was closest to, and Brooke concluded that was because they were friends once before, because the others noticed the two were opposites, in certain ways. While the stoic red ranger led his team with either somewhat of a scowl or an emotionless expression, the silver ranger contributed to debriefings by chiming in with witty retorts. Not that she didn't take it seriously, Jayden quickly found out she was well versed in strategic planning and battle tactics.

When asked about it, Brooke just shrugged it off, however, saying that it was due to the fact she fought alone before joining the team.

"Still, these tactics are almost like the ones I've learned," Jayden pressed, and Brooke just shrugged and ran a hand through her hair, seemingly nonchalant. "Are you sure you didn't have proper training before?" He questioned.

Brooke's eyes flashed as she chewed on her bottom lip, glancing back down at the archive in her lap. She and Jayden sometimes just sat in the rooms where most of the archives were kept and talked, but the red ranger seemed extra serious today. "I really don't know, Red. If I did, I have no recollection of it," Brooke confessed, grinning and revealing her sharper canines. "I guess it's like riding a bike. Muscle memory, just with battle strategies." She joked, turning her attention back to the archive, tapping her pencil on her notebook, where she was writing down notes from the archives. Brooke didn't really have any rhyme or reason to what she was writing down, it was mostly about nighlok or something she found interesting.

Luckily, most of the archives were written in English, and when she wasn't training, Brooke was combing through the books trying to find out anything about the silver rangers. However, most of the archives didn't seem to hold information that she could find useful.

As a comfortable silence fell over the pair, Jayden found himself inspecting his childhood friend out of the corner of his eye. She had changed a lot since they were younger, the werewolf almost holding a mysterious air around herself and her past, and mixed with her teasing nature, Mike had quickly labeled her the "cryptid of the samurai rangers". Still, Jayden found something charming about her that he couldn't quite place.

* * *

The next morning, Brooke was sparring with Jayden, which included the two rangers comparing their fighting styles. The silver ranger had a speedy fighting style, moving around quickly, while the red relied on powerful stances and strong moves. Jayden had come to enjoy sparring with Brooke, it was a change of pace, trying to learn how to fight against someone so different from him.

It was a normal routine that Brooke found herself enjoying. The structure was a little overbearing at times, yes, but she found it strangely satisfying at the same time.

"Hey Emily," Kevin called to the younger girl as Brooke landed a strike against Jayden that caused the training sword to fly out of his hand. Catching it with her left hand, the silver ranger shot the red a victorious grin. "If you ever have any worries, you can come to me, okay?"

Jayden rolled his eyes with a ghost of a smile on his lips at Brooke's actions, while Emily peered at Kevin with a kind but confused expression. "Worries?" The yellow ranger echoed, still holding her kind tone.

Brooke handed Jayden back his training sword, motioning to Kevin with her eyebrows raised. Jayden only shrugged in response, and the two went back to their sparring. Brooke performed an uppercut that Jayden blocked- and the girl's eyes flashed gold as she thought up a battle strategy. Jumping back before the red ranger's swing could nick her in the stomach, Brooke charged Jayden, Ji watching the two with something akin to pride shining in his eyes.

"I was just thinking, maybe you miss your family? Y'know, spending time with your sister and all? I know you two were close." Kevin explained, and Emily smiled sweetly at the blue ranger, resting on her training sword some.

"You're a sweetie, Kev, but I'm fine." The yellow ranger reassured him, and Brooke pursed her lips in confusion, keeping her attention to the blue ranger as she blocked Jayden's attack from behind.

Spinning on her heels, the silver ranger snickered, her eyes flashing triumphantly. "Nice try, but you're gonna have to do better than that, Red." Brooke teased, spinning her training sword in her hand and then pointing it at Jayden. She radiated confidence, and Jayden found that somewhat endearing as he rolled his eyes at his childhood friend's teasings.

"How'd you predict-" Jayden started, but was cut off by Mike's triumphant cheer, Brooke having an expression of amusement on her face. The five other rangers were _fun_ , they were a mix of different personalities that was a change from what Brooke had gotten accustomed to.

The character Mike had drawn glowed a bright green and leaves soon erupted from the symbol as it disappeared in a flash of green, Mike wearing a proud grin. "I knew I could do it!" The green ranger cheered, spinning around in his stool so that he was facing the five other rangers.

"You did! Congratulations!" Emily cheered, laughing faintly at the green ranger's enthusiasm, Kevin walking up to Mike.

"Hey Mike, I know how hard you're working on your symbol power, it took me years to master them! If you ever need to talk," Kevin offered to the green ranger and clapped Mike on the shoulder, who looked at the blue ranger's hand quizzically. "I'm here for you."

"Yeah… Anything you say, dude?" Mike answered hesitantly, but it was more a question than an answer.

Kevin seemed to not notice, or not care, because he turned his attention to the silver ranger- well, the brown wolf that was the silver ranger. "Hey, Brooke," Kevin called, and wolf-Brooke barked at Jayden as she bounced around the red ranger, who had his brows knit in annoyance as the brown wolf easily dodged his strikes. Her bones cracking, Brooke shifted back, blocking Jayden's kick with her arms as she raised an eyebrow at the blue ranger. "I know since you're the newest one on the team and all, you might have some trouble transitioning. I'm here to help if you need it." Kevin explained, and Brooke's eyes flashed gold for a moment.

"I'm good, but thanks for the offer. I'm doing just fine." Brooke answered, shaking her head. Her black ponytail swung, and she wiped some sweat off of her brow, raising her eyebrows at Jayden. The red ranger only knit his brows in response, blue eyes flickering to the blue ranger.

"What's up with him? I've never seen him look so happy." Mike remarked as he slid off of the stool, walking up towards Brooke and Jayden and motioning to Kevin.

The blue ranger was now offering his advice to the pink, Mia deflecting it the same way Brooke and Emily did, and the four other rangers watched Kevin with knit brows.

"I have no idea," Jayden confessed, confusion etched on his face. "He's been that way since yesterday."

* * *

The three female rangers, who were now dressed in their street clothes, watched the blue with confusion and concern etched on their faces- Brooke's eyebrows raised and eyes a mixture of grey and gold. Kevin was now helping Ji with a happy smile on his face, and even the older man looked confused, as Kevin's scowl usually gave Jayden's a run for his money.

"Uh, not to sound like a prick, but is this _normal_?" The silver ranger wondered aloud, crossing her arms over her chest and tapping the toe of her boot on the wooden floor. "'Cause I know I haven't been on the team for long, but _this_? It's kinda concerning."

"He's not even trying his hardest today," Emily pointed out, brows furrowed as she glanced at the blue ranger and then the pink. "You can get through to him the easiest, Mia. Would you mind asking him what's up?" The younger girl asked, and Mia nodded hesitantly, furrowing her brows.

"I'll try," Mia answered after a couple moments of hesitation. "He's been worried about other things than being a samurai, which isn't a bad thing, but, this is getting out of hand." The pink ranger remarked, but before she could walk up to ask Kevin if he was alright, the gap sensor and Brooke's samuraizer started going off in unison.

As Ji tapped the coffee table and the map of Panorama appeared, so did Jayden, seemingly just teleporting to the meeting room. The red ranger inspected the map for a couple of moments before speaking. "The park," Jayden declared, and his gaze slid to Brooke, who was tracing out a route with her finger. "Any shortcuts?"

"No," Brooke answered after a moment of silence, the silver turning to the red. The team now relied on her as what Brooke called "Panorama's tour guide", since they had found out that the silver ranger had come to know the city so well. "Well, not for you all, anyways, and I don't feel like taking a stroll through the woods right now. So, let's go."

Jayden nodded curtly, scanning the team. "Rangers, let's go." He commanded, and the six sprinted off in direction of the park, Brooke keeping up with Jayden easily. Surprisingly to the red ranger, the silver ranger's footsteps made no noise, even when running down the streets. Jayden had picked up on it when she had scared him on accident, and when asked about it, Brooke just shrugged it off, Mike calling her a cryptid.

Upon reaching the park, the six skidded to a stop when they saw a nighlok talking to a young ginger boy who was dressed in baseball gear. The team of rangers morphed quietly, Brooke shifting and hiding behind a bush, her ears flicking as she tuned into the conversation the boy and the nighlok were having.

"You can really do that?" The boy asked, blue eyes wide and shining with hope, and if wolf-Brooke could cringe, she _would've_. Instead, her fluffy brown and white tail wagged slowly, and Jayden looked fondly at the brown wolf, him wearing a faint smile underneath his helmet as wolf-Brooke's tail brushed his legs.

"Of course! Monsters can do anything." The nighlok vowed, and the team, well, sans Brooke, all shared confused and concerned glances underneath their helmets, hands-on their spin-swords.

The ginger boy seemed convinced, looking down at the baseball keychain in his hand and then back up at the monster. "Promise?" He muttered, tightening his grip on the keychain.

"I promise. Pinky finger swear?" The nighlok held out a pinky, and the five rangers and the brown wolf tensed, getting ready to lunge.

Wolf-Brooke barked, getting the kid's attention, who's face paled while the nighlok growled. Jayden leapt upwards and performed a downwards strike on the nighlok, and the brown wolf lunged. Sparks flew from where her claws made contact with the nighlok, successfully knocking the monster down and landing on all four paws. Wolf-Brooke was instantly on the defensive, standing in front of the little boy protectively, her ears flattened to her head, hackles raised and fur bristled, with her tail sticking out straight behind her.

Mia and Emily rushed to the boy's side, whose blue eyes were welling with tears. "Are you okay?" Mia asked the boy soothingly, and he opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

"What are you up to, nighlok?" Jayden spat, tightening his grip on his spin-sword as wolf-Brooke let out a low growl. He found it somewhat amusing because he knew the silver ranger, and she looked more intimidating than she let on, with her leather jackets and pointed canines. Even now, to him, the brown wolf looked like a giant brown and white puffball. Jayden didn't voice these thoughts aloud, however- because he _knew_ that Brooke would get annoyed at that.

"Nothing! We're friends, right?" The nighlok retorted, and the boy started to hyperventilate. Emily urged the boy to run, and he did so, the nighlok growing angrier. "Stay out of my business!" The monster demanded.

Once the boy was out of sight, Brooke shifted back, drawing her katanas. She had questions- number one being, _how the hell_ did a kid trust a monster that looked like _that_? The silver ranger thought stranger-danger was still a thing, and she narrowed her now gold eyes underneath her helmet, nodding at Jayden. The two rangers ran forward, having subconsciously developed a routine after spending weeks training together. They didn't notice it, but the rest of the team did, watching as Jayden defended, Brooke attacked, and vice versa. It seemed to hold pretty well, but all plans had flaws.

After making a couple of more witty comebacks that aggravated the team, the nighlok had managed to get all six of the rangers on the ground. "The fun's just begun, rangers!" The nighlok snickered as it disappeared into one of the cracks into the tree, the team standing on their feet quickly.

"I think he's planning something real bad," Mike remarked as the team demorphed, the six going into a pseudo-meeting.

"I'm worried about the kid, we should look for him." Mia urged, and Jayden nodded at the pink ranger.

Digging up some dirt with the toe of her leather boots, Brooke's eyes flashed."He doesn't seem to hold any concern for strangers, so that's at least helpful, somewhat," She added, bringing out her phone and opening Google maps. He could've only gotten so far so that only left a small number of areas. "Let's form pairs, it'll be easier that way," The team nodded, and Brooke got paired up with Jayden, which she wasn't complaining about. He was good company.

After a couple of moments, the silver and red rangers walked north, and the silver ranger spoke with a grin. "You got the wolf on your team, Red. We've got this in the bag," She joked, and Jayden rolled his eyes with a small smile. "But seriously, the kid had a baseball uniform on, so I'm thinking the baseball field is our best bet."

"Right," Jayden agreed, and Brooke hummed in response, shoving her hands into the pockets of her leather jacket. "What do you think the nighlok wanted with him?" He asked, and Brooke's eyes flashed as she chewed on her bottom lip.

"Something to do with false hope. That's what I'm picking up on, at least," Brooke answered, and when she noticed Jayden's quizzical expression, she backpedaled. "Hope is a dangerous thing to mess with, especially with kids. Promises you can't keep, stuff like that. Snuffing out a positive feeling that can change a person's whole being, depending on the degree of the promise," The silver ranger explained, lightly kicking a pebble and watching it bounce down the street. "With that nighlok, I'm sure it's a big promise as well. Which, I'm wondering why the kid didn't run, to begin with. The nighlok didn't look like a trustworthy individual," Brooke remarked, sighing. "Even Maxx's not that much of a dumbass." She muttered, and Jayden raised his eyebrows.

"Maxx?" Jayden echoed, furrowing his brows at the name.

Brooke looked at Jayden with confusion etched on her face. "My little brother. He's fifteen," She answered, skepticism in her tone as her eyes flashed. "Wouldn't you have met him when we were kids?" She questioned, and Jayden shook his head.

"No. Ji never mentioned anything about you having a brother, either," Jayden responded, and the noise of confusion that came from Brooke caused him to smile faintly.

"Huh, that's weird," Brooke muttered, trying to remember anything before the age of twelve. However, she didn't and cursed under her breath when she got the usual dial tone/radio static response. It was just all _white noise_ , and she knew it had to be something other than her just forgetting her time with Jayden. "Well, you learned something new today, Red." Brooke covered up her worry with a joke, and Jayden laughed lightly, nudging her leather-clad shoulder with his own.

"What's he like?" Jayden asked, and Brooke laughed faintly.

"He's _something_. But I've been told that we have the same outlook on life, which might be the trauma, but," Brooke started, but cut herself off when she noticed Jayden's quirked brown. Waving her hand in dismissal with claws somewhat grown in, she continued. "It's nothing important. Anyways, when I used to walk with one of my school friends- I got asked if I was his mom. A worrying amount, actually, so this is me telling you I- hey, that's mean." The silver ranger huffed when the red pushed her sideways.

Jayden let out a faint laugh as Brooke puffed out her cheeks some, glaring at him. "You're really something." He remarked, and Brooke raised a brow at him, grinning.

"I'm taking that as a compliment, Red," Brooke retorted, but the playful air quickly dropped when Brooke's samuraizer started ringing. Pulling the device out of her pocket, Brooke accepted the call and brought her samuraizer to her air. "I take it something happened." She greeted Mia, who let out an annoyed sigh.

 _"Yeah, he didn't tell us much. But he's definitely hiding something._ " Mia agreed, and Brooke made a noise of disbelief as the pink ranger started explaining what went down.

"Wait- so you're telling me, he told his dreams to a nighlok? Damn, must be me, but, uh, that seems a little far-fetched. You usually don't share your dreams with strangers. Especially not monsters." Brooke remarked, and she watched as Jayden visibly cringed, the red ranger furrowing his brows.

 _"He didn't give anything away about what the nighlok said to him, either. Kevin's going to stake out in the neighborhood all night, just in case the nighlok returns."_ Mia added, and Brooke grimaced.

Sleeping outdoors wasn't the best thing in the world, Brooke knew that from experience, but the blue ranger seemed set on it. "Oh? All night?" She echoed and heard Mia laugh slightly.

 _"Yeah, and he opened up to me about a couple of things. I'll share with you guys once this is all over._ "

Brooke raised her eyebrows, and her eyes flashed multiple times before landing on a grey-gold. "Sounds like a plan. Well rendezvous back at the Shiba House, I guess. See you there," With that, she ended the call, and flipped her samuraizer shut. "If I was a dumbass kid when we were little, please tell me. The kid didn't share anything with Mia or Kevin, but apparently, Kevin has decided to stake out the neighborhood tonight." She summarized, Jayden smiling slightly at the "dumbass kid" comment.

Still, he raised his eyebrows. "A stakeout." Jayden echoed, not convinced, and Brooke snickered, clapping him on the shoulder and starting to walk away.

"Couldn't make this shit up if I tried, Red. Let's go." Brooke answered, sticking her hands in her pockets and walking backwards, facing Jayden as he caught up with the silver ranger, the red wearing a small smile.

* * *

After dinner, which was sushi, per usual, Brooke took off her leather jacket, throwing it on her desk chair. Shaking her hair free of its ponytail, the silver ranger combed through it with clawed hands but stopped when she smelt something burning. Something in Brooke's gut told her that it _wasn't_ Jayden practicing with his symbol power, so she willed her claws away, using her heightened sense of smell to narrow down where the smell was coming from.

It was coming from the kitchen, and Brooke coughed, wrinkling her nose at the smell as she moved to stand beside Emily. The yellow and silver rangers peered around the doorway as the pink took an extremely burnt chicken out of the oven- well, _it wasn't even a chicken_. It was just a lump of charcoal at this point if charcoal was in the shape of the chicken.

Along with the chicken, a large cloud of smoke came out of the oven, and Brooke's eyes flashed. "Surprised that didn't set off the smoke alarm- shit." Brooke coughed as the smoke assaulted her senses, her eyes pricking with tears.

"Are you alright?" Emily asked worriedly as Brooke caught her breath, nodding.

"Sense of smell," Brooke choked out, shaking her head with a grin as she coughed again. "But, curiosity killed the wolf, and so did an _extremely burnt_ chicken. Christ." She wheezed, her eyes landing on pure gold as she peered at the chicken.

Not long after, Mike and Jayden walked up, the four rangers sharing concerned glances. "What does she think she's doing?" Jayden wondered, and Brooke laughed, but then launched into another coughing fit. The red ranger seemed to notice her choking and drew her closer slightly. The smell of his cologne blocked out the smell of the crisped chicken slightly, and Brooke subconsciously moved closer to him. Jayden welcomed it, resisting the urge to hold her as the four rangers watched Mia "cook".

"She's making a _home-cooked_ meal to bring to Kevin," Mike snickered as Mia waved smoke away from the chicken. "Since, y'know, he's staking out at that baseball kid's house, just in case the nighlok returns." He explained, and Brooke grimaced.

"Kevin's gonna die then- and it's not gonna be from the nighlok," Brooke blurted in a hushed tone and a small cough. Feeling Jayden rest his hand on the top of her head from where the four were crouched to spy on Mia, the silver ranger looked up at the red. "Tell me I'm wrong. _That_ isn't safe to eat." She defended, motioning to the chicken.

Rolling his eyes with a small smile at Brooke, who grinned in response, Jayden then turned his attention to Mike. "But Ji does all of the cooking." He reminded the green ranger, who shrugged in response.

"Kevin's been feeling sad, so she wanted to cheer him up with something a little less fancy, y'know?" Emily answered Jayden's silent question, and while the red ranger furrowed his brows, the green cringed.

"Like burnt chicken?" Mike wondered, eyeing the chicken warily. "Mia's gonna burn the house down- Kevin's not even here to put it out with his symbol power." It was supposed to be a joke, but the four rangers knew it _could be_ a possibility with Mia's cooking skills.

Speaking of, Mia was struggling to cut squash, and Brooke let out a low whistle. "Mmm, the meal of champions," She joked and broke into another coughing fit. Grey-gold eyes landed on the window above the stove, and Brooke quickly came up with a battle strategy. "Em, cover me- I'm going to open the window before I have to deal with the whole house smelling like smoke for a week." She wheezed, and Emily nodded, the two girls standing up from their hiding places as Mia summoned her spin-sword, the blade appearing in a flurry of pink particles.

"Good luck, brave soldiers," Mike joked, giving the two girls a mock salute, which the silver and yellow rangers both smiled and shook their heads at, the two girls braving their way into the kitchen.

"Y'know, you might be leader and all, but those two are the bravest tonight." He murmured to Jayden, who let out a small laugh.

"You're right." Jayden agreed, watching as Emily distracted Mia and helped her with her cooking, Brooke silently making her way to the window.

The silver ranger opened the window quickly and shared a discreet nod with Emily, Brooke giving her thumbs up and leaving the kitchen as quietly as she came. "Let's go," She urged the two rangers, furrowing her brows when she noticed Mike looking at the silver ranger's grey leather military combat boots, which had thick and treaded soles. "What?"

"How do you move so quietly?" Mike wondered as he, Brooke, and Jayden left the scene. "No offense, but your shoes are kinda… chunky. But I don't think I've ever heard your footsteps before." He chalked on, noticing Brooke's raised eyebrows and crossed arms.

"I just do?" Brooke replied, it more of a question than an answer. When both Jayden and Mike raised their eyebrows, she let out a sigh. "Listen- I just picked it up because I needed the skill in the past, and it stuck. That's all, it's really not that special." She explained, eyes flashing. She didn't feel like explaining that it was so she could get around her family home at night so her abusive father didn't find her, so she just came up with a half-assed excuse and hoped for the best.

Jayden noticed the subtle way her eyes flashed but didn't say anything about it. "Still, it's an impressive skill to have." He praised, and Brooke's cheeks dusted pink, albeit faintly.

"It's just setting your heel down first and rolling your feet forward to bring your toes to the ground- it's easy to do once you get into the rhythm. Walking on the outer edges of your feet helps as well." Brooke explained, demonstrating the motion, laughing at the green and red ranger's puzzled expressions.

"You're so cryptic- I swear. I've never met someone who just walks without making a sound." Mike let out a low whistle, and Brooke snorted, turning on her heel.

Making her way back to her room, the silver ranger raised her hand in farewell. "Take it as you will." She called over her shoulder in a teasing tone, disappearing into her room and shutting the wooden door behind her.

"Was she always that cryptic?" Mike asked Jayden, who laughed faintly and shook his head.

"No, Brooke's always been interesting- but not cryptic," Jayden answered, the corners of his mouth twitching upwards. _He had missed her._

* * *

The next morning, the gap sensor and Brooke's samuraizer sent the four rangers sprinting through the woods. Brooke's silver boots made _some_ sound on the fallen leaves, but not enough for Mike not to point it out. The silver ranger shifted as the team saw Mia and Kevin hit the ground, fallen leaves flying upward from the force.

The nighlok snickered at the two fallen rangers. "Now that you're in my part of the woods- the end is near!" The monster threatened, but it snapped its attention to wolf-Brooke, who let out a happy bark and lunged at the nighlok.

The brown wolf's claws caused sparks to fly where they made contact with the nighlok, Brooke shifting back into a human and landing in a crouch. "I think the woods are made more for a wolf than a tiger, don'tcha think?" The silver ranger mocked, slowly rising to her feet and drawing her two katanas. Spinning one of the silver katanas in her hand, Brooke kept the other pointed at the nighlok. "We came as soon as we could, it was a little difficult for me to sniff you guys out." She explained, and Mia nodded.

"Thanks, you guys arrived just in time." Mia thanked, and the team lined up in their usual line, Brooke standing in-between Mike and Jayden.

"Let's end this!" Jayden commanded, and the nighlok picked itself off of the ground and summoned moogers. And with that, the battle began.

Brooke was having _fun_ in this battle, as Mia and Kevin dealt with the main nighlok so she got to deal with moogers. Which were basically just blade fodder for the rangers, which meant they could deal with them with little worries. Twirling, the silver ranger cut down multiple moogers with ease, performing a backwards handspring and clipping a mooger in the chin, slashing it down as she landed on her feet and kicking another one in Emily's direction.

The yellow ranger cut down the creature with her spin-sword, it falling with a loud squeal. "Someone's having fun today! _Earth Slicer!_ " Emily called out her weapon's name and spun the disk on her spin-sword. Her sword turned into her Earth Slicer in a flash of yellow, and soon the rest of the team summoned their special weapons, which appeared in flashes of their respective colors.

"You throw a wolf in the woods- what else do you expect?" Brooke retorted with a teasing tone, standing next to Jayden, ducking before his Fire Smasher could take off her head. She didn't have a special weapon of her own- but that was fine. She could still fight with the rest of the team- and the silver ranger liked to think her being a shifter made up for the lack of a special weapon. "God, that thing's slow." Brooke teased Jayden as she used his Fire Smasher as a footstool to fling herself through the air, doing a handspring and landing on her feet, cutting down the last moogers with an elegant twirl.

Jayden didn't really have a retort, only smiling fondly underneath his helmet as an emotion the red ranger could only label as adoration filled his chest. "You're really something." He murmured, and Brooke picked up on his voice, just not what he _said_.

"You good?" Brooke asked him, sheathing her blades and turning to face Jayden.

"Nothing important," Jayden stammered- and then realized that's not the question Brooke asked. "Yeah, everything's good." He added quickly and was grateful for his helmet- because he was sure his face was the color of his ranger suit at this point.

Brooke laughed, clapping Jayden on the shoulder. "Alright, Red, whatever you say." She teased and laughed when Jayden presumably glared at her from underneath his red helmet.

Mia and Kevin quickly defeated the nighlok's first form, the team congratulating the pink and blue rangers. The two rangers led the charge, the rest of the team joining the fight a little while later on Jayden's command, the four rangers going into megamode power themselves.

In the cockpit of her wolf zord, Brooke waited for the original five to form the samurai megazord. The robotic wolf bounced happily, and once the samurai megazord was fully formed, it let out a happy bark, knowing the battle was about to begin. "Let's go bud." The silver ranger urged her zord, pushing the joystick that was her folded megablade forward.

The wolf zord lunged and made contact with the nighlok, who grew angry at the mechanical wolf. "Get away from me, you mutt!" The nighlok snarled, and while Brooke snickered, the zord seemed to take offense, letting out a vicious snarl of its own.

"Not happening! _Howl_!" Brooke commanded, pointing forward excitedly. The silver attack that came from the zord's mouth hit the nighlok head-on and then the silver ranger regrouped with the team. "You're all good to go!" She called through the comms, the wolf zord letting out a happy bark and wagging its tail excitedly.

"Thanks, Brooke," Jayden replied, smiling faintly at the happiness that the silver ranger and her zord were radiating. "You guys know what to do! Final Strike!" With that, the nighlok was defeated, and Jayden was about to call the finishing line when Mia and Kevin did it for him.

_"Samurai Rangers: Victory is Ours!"_

Once back on the forest floor, the team demorphed, Kevin and Mia going to work in explaining what had happened with the nighlok. The kid, Ryan, gave up his baseball equipment because the nighlok promised him that it would make his dad come back. Brooke felt a pang of jealousy, mixed with sorrow, ebb in her heart, but shook it aside. It was the wrong feeling to have, and the silver ranger knew that. So, she just ignored it- ignored the wishes for at least somewhat of a normal family, but what's done is done, and Brooke chided herself for thinking that way. She and Maxx were safe, and that was enough for Brooke. She had a team by her side now, and that was more than enough.

"So," Mike's cheery voice snapped the silver ranger out of her thoughts. "The nighlok bein' defeated means we saved Ryan, right? He'll want to play again?" He wondered, voicing the team's silent question. _They all hoped._

"We could check on him," Brooke offered, walking up to the team silently, and all of the team jumped slightly in surprise. "What?"

"You're so quiet sometimes!" Emily exclaimed, and Brooke rolled her eyes with a faint smile.

Mike grinned at Brooke. "Cryptid at it again." The green ranger teased, and the silver shot him a playful glare.

"Yeah, yeah, "Brooke Wolfe's a cryptid, oh my god!"," Brooke teased with a bad impression of Mike, picking up a fallen acorn and throwing an acorn at the green ranger, who let out a bark of laughter. The other four rangers watched the two with amused expressions on their faces. "Like I was saying, we could check on Ryan. I've never been to a baseball game."

The team agreed and walked out of the woods, making their way to the baseball field. The red and silver rangers trailed behind the others somewhat, which was also something that they started doing after a battle. It was amusing, and Brooke watched with a faint smile on her face as Mike declared he was going to try one of the overpriced hotdogs that they sold at the concession stands. Kevin was scolding him, saying that it wasn't the best thing to eat, but the green paid the blue no mind.

Jayden watched Brooke out of the corner of his eye for a moment before turning his attention back to the four rangers in front of him. "You did a good job today." He praised, and Brooke smiled faintly.

"Thanks, Red, you didn't do too bad yourself." Brooke joked, taking her hands out of the pockets of the light grey zip-up hoodie she wore. It was a jacket she got from dance, _B. Wolfe_ was on the left side of the jacket and the logo for the dance company being on the back- which was a swan that had _Swan Lake Dance Company_ underneath it in bold, white letters.

"Hey, Brooke?" Jayden asked, and Brooke turned his attention to the red ranger- noticing that his signature color was coating the tips of his ears. "I don't want to freak you out or anything, so- can I hold your hand?" The last part of the sentence ended up barely audible, and Brooke was thankful for her hearing because she wouldn't have heard him otherwise. Jayden didn't even know why he was embarrassed- they used to hold hands when they were kids, but this felt somewhat different. And he didn't know how, or why.

Instead of answering him directly, Brooke just grabbed his hand lightly, loosely intertwining her fingers with his. She ignored the pounding of her heart and the heat rising to her face and laughed faintly. "You don't have to ask, Red. Physical affection is nice." She spoke softly, and Jayden hummed in response, tightening his hold on her hand somewhat. The pair's faces were both a matching shade of pink, but luckily, it faded before they reached the baseball field.

* * *

The team sat on the bleachers as the five rangers, sans Mike because he went to go find the concession stand, waited for the game to start. Mike found out that the concession stand didn't sell hotdogs- _but they did sell fries._ Which the green ranger almost seemed _too_ excited about, returning the team with a wide grin on his face. The first thing he noticed was Brooke and Jayden's intertwined hands, and he got the red ranger's attention by throwing a fry at the back of his head. It did work, and Jayden shot him a glare, which turned into an eye roll when Mike pointed towards Brooke and raised his brows with a cheeky grin.

Needless to say, the six rangers- who were all wearing their usual colors brightly, looked awfully out of place. Some of the parents of the kids who were playing gave confused glances to the teenagers, but they ignored them. Soon, the team was starting to warm up, and Ryan was nowhere to be found- which caused a sense of worry to wash over the team, but Emily redirected the conversation.

"Swinging a sword isn't too different from swinging a bat, huh?" Emily mused, watching as a kid hit a baseball with his bat- sending the red and white ball flying.

Brooke snorted, propping her chin on her fist, her eyes flashing. Maxx played soccer- and she used to cheer, but _baseball_? It was a new sport entirely. " _Imagine_. I'd dual wield baseball bats if I could, just hit the nighlok hard enough to cause brain damage- or some sort of damage." She joked and felt Jayden squeeze her hand lightly, which she returned.

"Do nighlok have brains?" Mia wondered, the pink ranger furrowing her brows, and Brooke raised her eyebrows at Jayden, who shrugged.

"Are we really having this conversation?" Kevin groaned, seemingly annoyed by the conversation the five other rangers were having, well, four, because Jayden was mostly listening, but still, it was a majority of the team. And Brooke realized- if someone overheard them, they were gonna think the rangers were under the influence of _something_.

Mike rolled his green eyes at Kevin as he shoved more of the concession stand fries in his mouth. "Hey man," The green ranger started through a mouthful of fries. Swallowing his food, he continued. "We're saving the world, so these are questions we've got to ask." He pointed a fry at Kevin, who rolled his eyes.

"Hey, look! There's Ryan!" Mia blurted, pointing towards the ginger boy, and the rangers shared proud glances with each other. "He has his baseball gear, so that means he's alright!" The pink ranger cheered, sharing a triumphant look with Kevin.

Ryan noticed the rangers, which wasn't very difficult, and waved. The team, minus Brooke waved back because the silver ranger was pulling her samuraizer out of the pocket of her light grey jacket. The five watched Brooke curiously as she drew a symbol- well, a string of kanji, the silver ranger finishing with a grin and a flourish of her samuraizer.

夢が叶う shone brightly in silver, and Brooke didn't bother calling the symbol's name as she activated it. The string of kanji flew over and hit Ryan, and when the five-shot the silver ranger worried looks- she shook her head. "Look, it's doing what it's supposed to do." She murmured, pointing at Ryan and then shutting her samuraizer and putting it back into her pocket.

When the symbol, well, symbols, hit Ryan, they dissolved in a flurry of silver sparkles. Those sparkles then formed a projection of a man in uniform- Ryan's father, and Brooke felt her heart swell as Ryan beamed. She remembered the same expression on Maxx's face, and something about it was bittersweet.

"Dad!" Ryan cried out and tackled the translucent projection of his father, and Brooke grit her teeth- trying to keep the symbol active. Grey eyes flashed gold, and the silver particles that formed Ryan's father brightened somewhat.

Ryan's father returned the hug, and Brooke felt a headache start to form. She knew she would have to stop the projection soon- so she decided to end it on a good note. "Go get 'em, tiger. I love you." Ryan's father stated, and when the ginger boy ran off, Brooke let the symbol end.

The projection of Ryan's father disappeared in a brilliant flash of silver- and the silver ranger let out a relieved sigh, fighting back a wave of nausea that just hit her. While the rest of the team didn't notice Brooke's pale face- Jayden did, and he tugged on the edge of Brooke's jacket a silent invitation for her to scoot closer. She did, and Jayden gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, which Brooke returned.

"How'd you do that," Mike motioned to the area that the projection of Ryan's father was with a fry, eyes wide. "That hocus pocus?"

"Usually people's dreams are easy to make a reality- most people have a major wish, whether it be a dream or desire to be fulfilled. The symbol grants the wish, if only for a moment," Brooke explained with a weary smile, watching Ryan. The boy's mood had skyrocketed, and that made the silver ranger extremely happy. "It's called _dreams come true_. I used to do it for my little brother when he was younger- and keep it around for minutes at a time, but apparently not anymore. But, what said has been said, dreams have been made true, for at least right now. So, everything's good." She remarked with a yawn, feeling the exhaustion hit her. But, that was okay- Brooke could fight through it. Everything worked out.

"That's an incredible use of symbol power," Kevin spoke softly, and Brooke hummed in response, using Jayden's arm as a sort of headrest.

Jayden noticed the silver ranger and laughed faintly. "You did good, Brooke. I had seen the symbol in the archives but never really got it to work." He confessed, and Brooke let out a tired laugh.

"Well, the one who drew it- their dreams can't be fulfilled if they drew the symbol, y'know? I've tried before." The silver ranger murmured, and she was also scared about what dreams she could be fulfilled. They could be incredibly depressing, for all Brooke knew.

Jayden hummed in response, and the two watched as Ryan stepped up to bat. Brooke's eyes flashed as she watched the ball fly from the pitcher's glove, Ryan hitting it with full force. The ball soared through the air, and out of sight and the silver ranger let out a low whistle.

Ryan had hit a home run, and the team rose to their feet, the six teenagers cheering loudly as Ryan ran the bases. The ranger's cheers drowned out most of the cheers of the others, and some people swore they heard a wolf howl.


	4. light 'em up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What was supposed to be a day off goes south quickly, a nighlok that cannot be hit appears, and Jayden having multiple crises over a disk arises. Brooke realizes that the red ranger's bad at hiding emotions, and takes it into her own hands to get him to talk about his problems some.

The next morning, Brooke found herself teaching Emily some of the moves she used in battle. The yellow ranger seemed interested, and the silver enjoyed mentoring someone- and with Emily, it made Brooke feel like a big sister to the younger girl. Emily was a nice change from Maxx, who was, for lack of a better term, an asshole, as Brooke liked to put it. However, Brooke knew that part of it was due to their upbringing- as it wasn't a _pleasant_ way to grow up. It was Maxx coping to the best of his abilities, and his sister knew that. She had spiraled much more than he had after the two siblings ran away.

Brooke snapped out of her thoughts, grabbing Emily's elbow before she could fall. "Don't go eating the ground now, sunshine." The silver ranger teased with a grin, and the yellow wore a cheerful smile at the nickname.

"It's harder than you make it look," Emily remarked, looking at the taller girl, who wore a ghost of a smile on her lips. Emily noticed that her grey eyes held a certain sadness that she couldn't place, but Brooke's eyes flashed gold for a moment- then returning to their usual grey, and it was gone.

"I've been dancing for years now, it's pretty much just- oh?" Brooke cut herself off, raising her brow as she heard Mike walk into the dojo before she could see him. She had quickly come to recognize each of the ranger's footfalls- it helped her figure out who was who before she could see them, or smell them- as each ranger gave off a distinct scent. For example, Jayden smelt like smoke and the forest, and Emily smelt like flowers. "Thought you were sleeping in." The silver ranger teased with a cheeky grin.

The green ranger grinned as he walked into the room with a skateboard under his arm and a helmet on his head. All of the ranger's had started getting used to Brooke's habits- the girl parking up at sounds they couldn't hear, or smelling things they couldn't. "Well, _duh_ , that's not anything new," Mike fired back as he unclipped his helmet, and Brooke rolled her eyes as they flashed. "But what's new is that Ji gave us the day off." He spoke, his voice hushed as if he said it too loud it wouldn't be true.

"We've just started training, though," Kevin argued, his brows knit and uncertainty etched on his face, but Mike just let out a dramatic sigh accompanied with an eye roll.

"C'mon, you're telling me," Mike started, amusement sparkling in his eyes as he took off his helmet. "That you're going to disobey a _direct order_ from our samurai mentor? Doesn't seem to be a very Kevin thing to do." The green ranger teased, and the blue rolled his eyes- but was won over.

"Well, I guess not." Kevin agreed with a small smile, and the team, sans Brooke and Jayden, started discussing what to do.

Jayden because he wasn't with the team, and Brooke because she was sorting through her thoughts- which was something she tried to do when she could. Truthfully, Jayden had seemed _off_ , and Brooke found it somewhat concerning. He seemed to be lost in "red ranger land", as the silver ranger liked to put it, but she noticed that he was distant at breakfast- not responding to her teasings like he usually did. Jayden just had this disgruntled look on his face, well, it seemed like nine times out of ten he looked disgruntled, but still. He was closed off, more so than usual, and Brooke didn't know what had caused it. It was worrying, and she-

Mike snapping his fingers in front of Brooke's face snapped her out of her thoughts, her jumping some at the sudden noise. " _Hello_? Earth to silver?" The green ranger teased, and the silver swatted his hand away, her eyes flashing.

"That's me," Brooke replied, raising a brow. "What's up?" She asked, tapping the toe of her sneaker on the floor. She had completely forgotten that she was actually in the middle of a conversation with the others and smiled sheepishly.

"We've decided to go to Rainbow's End. I've never been, and I've been wanting to go." Emily summarized the conversation, and the three other rangers nodded in agreement.

"That sounds fun and fine by me, I've never been either," Brooke replied, her eyes flashing at the team's expressions of disbelief and the silver ranger furrowed her brows. "What?" She questioned, crossing her arms over her chest.

Mike blinked at Brooke in disbelief. "Wait- you're telling me you've been in Panorama for how many years?" He asked, and at Brooke's faint reply of "two", he continued. "You've been here for two years, pretty much have the city _memorized_ , but you've never been to Rainbow's End?" The green ranger questioned in disbelief, and Brooke nodded.

"Knowing the streets is different than knowing direct locations, and I've been busy. In the past, it was with school, and before I met you all it was with training- which is pretty much the same now," Brooke defended, breaking into a grin. "So, let's go." She urged, and the team nodded in agreement.

As the silver ranger made her way back into her room to get changed, her sneakers _did_ make some noise on the wooden floors- a loud squeak. Brooke winced, partly at the sound, because her heightened sense of hearing did not enjoy it, and partly at the fact that she ran straight into Jayden.

Jayden snapped out of his thoughts as Brooke took an awkward step back, masking her embarrassment with a small grin. "There's my favorite Red," The silver ranger greeted the red, and Jayden felt the corners of his lips twitch upward slightly- then returning to his usual emotionless expression. "We're going to Rainbow's End, you coming?" Brooke asked, her eyes flashing as she scanned Jayden's face, and she noticed the underlying stress that his face didn't give away, but his eyes did.

"Have fun." Jayden responded bluntly, forcing a small smile. That he knew Brooke saw right through, by the subtle raise of her eyebrows. However, she didn't press, Jayden was thankful for that.

The silver ranger's grey eyes seemed to figure everything about the red with just a simple glance, and it was somewhat unnerving to him. Jayden didn't know if it was because of Brooke being a shifter, or just because he knew her better than he knew the others. Her eyes were almost the same since they were kids, but the grey seemed sharper and more calculating. He found them pretty, actually, but he didn't voice those thoughts aloud, just shoving them to the deepest parts of his mind.

However, while Brooke didn't press- the others did. "You're not coming with us?" Emily asked, and Brooke wondered if they were eavesdropping. While she cared deeply for her teammates, they were quite… _intrusive_ when they wanted to be.

The silver ranger watched as Jayden put on another small smile, that she easily saw through, and pursed her lips slightly but didn't pry. They were the same in that way, once they decided that they weren't going to share, the two rangers both just shrugged it off. Pressing Jayden for answers would just make him annoyed, and that's the last thing Brooke felt like doing.

"Not this time," Jayden answered, turning to walk away from Brooke and Emily. "There's something I need to do." He stated cryptically, and then, like that, he was gone.

"And Mike calls _me_ the cryptid," Brooke muttered, watching Jayden's retreating form with a small frown. She actually wanted him to come but didn't voice that desire aloud. So, she just hoped he took care of himself.

"He's so mysterious sometimes. I wonder what's so important." Mia piped up from out of nowhere, and Brooke was certain that the team was eavesdropping, as Kevin appeared as well- out of nowhere.

The blue ranger looked at the silver quizzically. "Aren't you going to ask him?" Kevin asked Brooke, who shook her head, her eyes flashing.

"No, there's no point," Brooke replied, glancing in the direction Jayden left before turning her attention to Kevin fully. "It'll probably piss him off more than anything, and I don't feel like dealing with a more disgruntled Red." She explained, and Kevin nodded.

"Our day off is awasting!" Mike chided with his usual cheeky grin, opening the door and peeking his head through, glancing at the four rangers. "Jayden can take care of himself, c'mon!" The green ranger urged, waving his hand nonchalantly at the red ranger's actions, and the tense atmosphere broke quickly.

As the others left the Shiba House, Jayden stared down at a wooden box that had a wooden carving of a beetle attached to the lid. Slowly opening the lid, he gingerly picked up the orange disk, blue eyes scanning the object. It was the beetle disk, and despite not being touched in years, the orange disk didn't have a speck of dust on it. While a small part of his mind dreaded the work he knew he had to put into the disk, Jayden knew that it would help the team out immensely.

Truthfully, Jayden hoped that it would lift some of the figurative weight off of his shoulders more than anything. As the days passed by- and the looming threat of Xandred flooding the Earth grew closer, the stress the red ranger felt increased. Jayden didn't want to admit it to himself and didn't breathe a word to Brooke, but the silver ranger joining the team had caused more stress to be tacked on his shoulders. It was the stress of wanting to keep her safe- just like he did when they were younger. It was a time when Brooke didn't even _know_ of her role as the silver ranger, and Jayden didn't have to worry so much about being the red. They were simpler times, and Jayden missed them.

Still, Jayden enjoyed having Brooke on the team. The silver ranger brought back happy memories, even if she couldn't remember them. Despite it being seven years, Jayden still saw the girl he first became friends with underneath the teasing jokes and leather jackets. However, he also saw some of the burdens she carried, which were hidden behind false smiles and empty words. While Jayden didn't want to admit it- Brooke _changed_.

She was no longer the naive ten-year-old that Jayden could protect. Brooke seemed to now view the world in a negative light- and it made Jayden wonder what had happened in the seven years she was gone. What had urged her to learn how to walk silently- and Jayden saw the scars. Some of them wrapped around Brooke's arms like vines, and it was worrying to Jayden. Others seemed to be too coincidentally placed to be deemed as accidents, jagged white lines on her shoulders, areas that were usually covered by the sleeves of a t-shirt.

When Mike had asked Brooke about them- rather bluntly, which caused Jayden to shoot him a glare, Brooke had _flinched_. It was a subtle movement, but Jayden had caught onto it, watching as Brooke just said that they were nothing important and pulled her sleeves down some. Jayden didn't know how to help- and he didn't even know if he _could_.

Despite the changes, Jayden still saw his second-ever friend and the fact she didn't remember the times they shared frustrated him. The fates they got dealt with frustrated him. A part of his heart just wished to keep her safe, but he knew that he could only do so much.

Jayden stared down at the beetle disk in his hand, letting out a heavy sigh. He knew he had to get to work.

* * *

Brooke had mentally prepared herself for the volume of the amusement park, but Rainbow's End was much louder than she had prepared for. It was all almost deafening when the sounds of the rides mixed with the people screaming assaulted her senses. It left her with a small headache, but she ignored it, watching fondly as Emily seemed to be taking in the amusement park with a sparkle in her eyes. Brooke could deal with the headache if it meant that she could see the others this happy.

"I wonder why Jayden didn't come?" Kevin thought aloud, and Brooke frowned slightly.

The silver ranger enjoyed the red as company, she almost _always_ did, but she saw the underlying stress that the red ranger carried. Hiding your own emotions for so long made it easy to tell when others were hiding theirs, and Brooke didn't want to admit it to Jayden- he did somewhat of a poor job, and it was easy to see through the emotionless mask he wore. Still, the others didn't seem to pick up on it, and she was glad they didn't. Brooke understood why Jayden was trying to hide it, he was the leader of the team. He was the fated red ranger, the one who's meant to save the day. She could only watch as the stress piled higher, and it's not like the silver ranger could help the red with his. She had her own to deal with, well, that she just shoved down and hoped that it didn't bubble up to the surface.

Part of it was her samurai duties, yes. Lacking a power disk frustrated Brooke. The lack of answers that she got from the archives frustrated her. The fact that she was so very different from the team, from her swords to the fact that she didn't control an element of her own, frustrated her. When her shifting started making itself present, Brooke had come to the conclusion that she could never be fully human. She had gotten used to feeling like she never really fit in. Now, joining the team, the feeling had increased tenfold. Watching the others be _human_ , even despite being rangers, it caused jealousy to rear its ugly head and whisper doubts to her. It was the little things that set her off, such as the fact she couldn't wear silver jewelry- the fact that she couldn't even enjoy an amusement park without getting overwhelmed.

The other part of the stress was the vow she made when she became a samurai ranger. The vow to protect those she cared about, and fight so they could live their lives in safety. Which wasn't very stressful to begin with. It was only Mary, Casper, and Maxx that she worried about the most, as the three had the closest ties with her, but the other rangers joined the list as well. The lack of power to truly protect them frustrated Brooke.

Still, she tried shoving that frustration and stress aside as she heard Emily's bubbly voice. "We'll bring him back some cotton candy to cheer him up!" The yellow ranger chirped, and Brooke smiled at the image of Jayden eating cotton candy, with the same disgruntled look on his face.

"Wait!" Kevin blurted, and the four rangers stopped in their tracks, shooting confused looks at the blue ranger. "Maybe this is a test! A samurai never takes a day off." He blurted, and Mike and Brooke shared an exasperated look, the silver ranger placing a hand on the blue's shoulder before he could sprint back to the Shiba House.

"Look," Mike started, pinching the bridge of his nose with a sigh and then pointing at Kevin. "If Jayden or Ji wanted us to stay, they would've said so." He reassured Kevin, who nodded but still looked unconvinced.

"Red's just the type of guy who'll work until he breaks, and I don't need my memories with him to figure that one out," Brooke added, removing her hand from Kevin's shoulder and willing her claws away. "There's no point in worrying about his actions, we can't control him. Let's just have fun, and be normal teenagers. C'mon, you guys gotta show me what I'm missing out!"

Mike grinned, nudging Brooke's leather-clad shoulder with his own. "Hell yeah! See, Brooke gets it! The rides are awaiting!" The green ranger cheered, and Mia grabbed the yellow and silver rangers' wrists, pulling them forward.

Brooke allowed herself to be pulled along, sparing one glance at the wolf zord that was hooked onto one of the belt loops of her jeans. The silver symbol reflected in the sunlight, and she wondered what her mom thought of this. _What her mom thought of her._

* * *

Jayden spun the beetle disk on his spin sword, swinging the blade over his head as it burst aflame. His previous attempts to master the disk wasn't going well, and he could hear Brooke making fun of him for hitting the ground so many times. It was always the same, he got blown back. Such as now, when he landed hard on his back, his spin-sword clattering on the ground.

It hurt, Jayden couldn't deny it. Despite him being used to fire- as it was his element, his hands were slightly burnt, and his back throbbed from hitting the ground so many times. The stress mixed with the pain left him with a tension headache, but the red ranger grit his teeth and fought through it. That's all he could do, the disk was important- _it was his job._ Still, it wasn't a job Jayden found himself enjoying, and he didn't like the feeling of gravel dust and sweat that was covering his body.

"You're not ready to use the beetle disk yet. You're literally playing with fire," Ji called to the fallen red ranger, and Jayden resisted the urge to level a glare at his mentor. "Jayden, you must be prepared to be giving one hundred percent of yourself. Not just physically, but mentally." He chided, and Jayden staggered to his feet.

"I'm giving a hundred and ten percent," Jayden hissed through clenched teeth, ignoring the pain that flared through his body as he forced himself to his feet. Now he just wanted to master the disk out of spite- because he was annoyed, about a lot of things, yes, but the disk was the main factor to his annoyance.

Ji remained calm, despite Jayden's flare in temper. "Yes, but you're lacking balance in your life, you're pushing yourself too hard." The older man stated, his voice even.

"Yeah, so maybe I'm pushing myself too hard," Jayden agreed, his voice stern. "But I'm the red ranger now. I have to be the best and keep getting better." He staggered over to his mentor, taking his spin-sword out of the older man's hand.

"I understand why you stayed back today," Ji remarked, moving to Jayden's other side as the red ranger readied his spin-sword. "There was a time when you were younger where we both trained hard, but you still allowed yourself to have fun. Especially with Brooke on the team, I know you want to go with the others."Ji knew he hit a sore spot by mentioning the silver ranger, by the way Jayden set his jaw.

"Those days are over. Brooke's grown up, and I've grown up," Jayden muttered darkly, blue eyes holding a mixture of rage and sorrow. "She doesn't even remember me." And with that, he spun the beetle disk on his spin-sword, the weapon igniting in flames again.

* * *

The team wasn't necessarily surprised when the screams started, but the five rangers all shared a collective look of annoyance. Still, the rangers rose from their seats quickly, running towards the source of the screams. As she ran, Brooke dialed Jayden's familiar number in her samuraizer, bringing the device up to her ear. He didn't answer, which was somewhat concerning, but she shoved that thought aside and clutched her samuraizer tightly in a clawed hand.

The five made it out of Rainbow's End, and Brooke's eyes widened slightly and settled on a mixture of grey and gold as she looked at the nighlok. The monster had what could only be called as dreadlocks, which were fluffy and red- paired with a cactus green body. However, that wasn't what was concerning, the _gun_ the nighlok was holding was the most concerning thing. Brooke knew it wasn't a normal gun, but it looked like one.

Speaking of, the nighlok raised its gun, and the team quickly morphed as the monster fired at a group of pedestrians. Before the two blasts could make contact, Kevin and Mike sprinted in, deflecting the shots with their spin-swords.

"That's enough, dreadlocks!" Kevin spat at the nighlok, and Brooke grit her teeth as she called Jayden for the third time.

"Somethin' wrong with my hair?" The nighlok asked with a thick southern accent, readying its gun as the team settled into fighting stances.

"Yeah, it's so dreadful it needs a trim!" Mike fired back, rushing the nighlok. However, the green ranger swung, and his spin-sword seemed to phase through the nighlok entirely.

Brooke cringed as the rest of the team soon ended up on the ground, flipping her samuraizer shut and putting it back into the pouch on the belt of her ranger suit. Jayden hadn't answered, and that made the silver ranger's annoyance flare as she tried to come up with a battle strategy. It didn't take long for her to do so, and without unsheathing her blades- the silver ranger ran forward.

"Missy, you ready to rumble?" The nighlok cackled, readying its gun and firing at Brooke, who didn't respond.

Rolling under the nighlok's blast, Brooke shifted, her bones making the familiar series of cracks and pops. If blades didn't work, maybe claws could, and the brown wolf let out a bark of victory as sparks flew from the nighlok. Landing in front of the team, wolf-Brooke took a defensive stance in front of the team, growling.

The nighlok seemed to be taken aback that one of the rangers seemed to hit it- but soon regained his composure. "Your little pet doesn't scare me, rangers!" The monster called to the fallen rangers, and Brooke felt her annoyance spike at being called a pet. Old memories resurfaced, and the silver ranger resisted the urge to throw up.

"Fine then," Brooke spat, shifting back into a human and drawing her katanas. "Let's dance." The silver ranger growled, running forward once again as the nighlok cackled.

Brooke jumped over the monster's blast and swung downwards- cheering silently when they did manage to hit the nighlok. The monster was only resistant to whatever material spin-swords were made of, and the silver ranger's katanas were pure silver. The two swords didn't do as much damage as the owner would like, but it was better than nothing.

Brooke had settled into a routine, and when Jayden arrived and broke that routine, she nearly screamed. Sheathing one of her blades, she grabbed the back of his ranger suit- pooling her strength into her arms as she lightly tossed him in the direction the fallen team was laying. "Nice job answering your calls!" Brooke's voice was dripping with sarcasm as she unsheathed her katana again- deflecting the nighlok's shot. "Spin-swords don't work- help your team!" She barked at the red ranger, jumping into battle again.

"I've never seen her that mad before," Mia muttered as Jayden helped her and their teammates to their feet, watching as Brooke landed strong strikes against the monster.

Jayden didn't respond, a strange sense of hurt filling his gut, and watched as the silver ranger blocked the nighlok's arm with one katana, slashing at its stomach with another. After a couple of moments, he spoke- furrowing his brows underneath his helmet. "What happened?" He murmured, barely audible.

"It's not you, Red, sorry," Brooke appeared at his side, patting him on the back. "Just- don't like being called a pet, and a little stressed. Can you guys quintuple slash him?" The silver ranger panted, and the red nodded, sliding the lion disk on his spin-sword.

The five original rangers spun their zord disks- the blades of their spin-swords lighting up their respective colors. _"Spin Sword: Quintuple Slash!"_ As the five multicolored attacks hit the nighlok, they barely made a dent. But, the nighlok did stagger back, Brooke seeing an opening.

The silver ranger broke off into a sprint, slashing at the nighlok's stomach. Sparks flew from where her katanas made contact, and Brooke quickly regrouped with the team, Jayden giving her shoulder a congratulatory squeeze. "Nice work." The red ranger congratulated, and the silver nodded, smiling faintly under her helmet.

"The group attack did work some, it was just weaker," Brooke summarized, and watched as the nighlok raised its gun. "Get ready." She warned, tensing her body and tightening her hold on her katanas as she prepared herself to run forward again.

"Ooh, you rainbow rage just tickled my tummy!" The nighlok snickered, firing its gun. Jayden summoned his Fire Smasher before the attack could hit, blocking the attack from hitting the team.

Brooke ran forward and sheathed her blades, but this time she didn't shift. Instead, she rolled under the nighlok's blast, performing a handspring and landing a high kick that sent the nighlok's gun hurtling through the air. As she caught the weapon, the silver ranger spared a glance at the red, who seemed to be having some sort of crisis.

"Hey, that's mine! Give it back!" The nighlok demanded, and Brooke snickered, aiming the gun.

"Not anymore," The silver ranger's finger twitched on the trigger- and she let Jayden have his crisis. "Let's see how you fair being on the receiving end of this one!" Brooke fired off multiple shots, her grin growing wider as she walked forward.

Mike's low whistle snapped Jayden out of his thoughts. "Damn, she's _terrifying_." The green ranger motioned to the silver, and the team watched as she fired a couple more shots.

Throwing the gun aside as the nighlok staggered back, Brooke walked calmly forward, drawing her dual blades, the silver katanas shining in the light. Spinning one sword in her hand, she pointed the other at the nighlok, letting out a mocking laugh and then slashing at the nighlok's stomach.

The monster stumbled back, clutching its stomach as the area started to grey and crack. "Feels like I ate cactus needles," The nighlok grunted, holding a hand to its stomach as its body started greying and cracking. "I'm drying out! Next time you won't be so lucky, later rangers!" The nighlok threatened, and after it disappeared into a crack, Brooke sheathed her blades and demorphed, turning to the team.

"Everyone okay?" Brooke asked, well, panted, walking towards the team as the five demorphed.

The pink ranger nodded at the silver, smiling sweetly- but Brooke could tell it was forced. The team radiated stress and concern, and she understood why. The silver ranger was too, just for an entirely different reason. She didn't want to fight the nighlok alone but if push comes to shove- Brooke realized she might. That was fine, _anything to keep the team safe_.

* * *

Once back at the Shiba House, Brooke took a seat next to Jayden, and she kept a careful eye trained on the red ranger as the meeting commenced. He was still having his mini-crisis, lost in thought as the four other rangers started talking- frustrated about the lack of damage they did to the nighlok.

"Man, that nighlok was working some bad mojo." Mike started, the green ranger taking his seat.

Mia sighed, the pink ranger looking defeated. "I don't mean to sound like that nighlok, but our spin-swords and symbol power were, well… useless." She added, and Brooke propped her chin on her fist, watching the team. She stayed silent for the most part, letting the rangers do their thing.

"Well, Brooke's weren't," Mike remarked, glancing at the silver ranger, who's eyes flashed gold for a moment. "Why was that? Also, where'd you learn to fire a gun?"

Brooke let out a small laugh at Mike's last question. "I was just somewhat stressed out, so I was just relying on instinct, honestly. Never shot a gun before that- at least, from what a I remember," She answered, eyes flashing as she chewed on her bottom lip for a moment.

"As for me being able to hit the nighlok- Well, obviously, my claws aren't the same material as your spin-swords," Brooke explained, raising a clawed hand for emphasis, and then willed her claws away, placing her hand back in her lap. "And neither are my katanas. They're pure silver, and I think the nighlok is only resistant to the metal of your spin-swords. Because while the quintuple slash didn't work fully, it did weaken him, somewhat." She remarked softly, crossing her leg over her knee.

Jayden nodded slightly, glancing at Brooke out of the corner of his eye. She seemed strangely relaxed, and he speculated that it was mostly her covering up some other emotions. She was doing a better job than him, though, and he knew that. The beetle disk stressed him out, and he knew he was overthinking during the battle- and something about the silver ranger fighting alone didn't sit well with the red.

"It's scary to think what he could've done to us, if Brooke wasn't there, and if the nighlok didn't dry out," Kevin muttered, taking a seat, the blue ranger pinching the bridge of his nose with a sigh.

"No thanks!" Emily blurted, perking up from where she was sitting cross-legged in her seat. "I'd rather think about how we can beat him!" She exclaimed, the blonde scanning the team.

"Exactly, Emily," Ji nodded to the yellow ranger, standing up. "Fear is the enemy. If you believe in yourselves, you can win any battle. Confidence is what brings power." The older man lectured, tapping his staff in his hand lightly.

"You weren't there, our weapons couldn't touch him!" Mike retorted, and Brooke's eyes flashed gold, settling on a mixture between gold and grey.

Brooke wet her dry lips, collecting her thoughts before speaking. "Worse case scenario," The rangers' eyes turned to Brooke, and she masked her fear with a small grin. "I can take it alone. I know we're a team, but it's no use running into losing battle for you guys. I have more energy than a human's because I'm shifter as well." She chalked on the last sentence, noticing Jayden tense from where he was sitting next to her.

"No. You fighting the nighlok alone is out of the question, Brooke," Jayden replied, trying to relax the tension in his body. This was the last thing he wanted to happen- _he didn't want to see her hurt_. "That won't be necessary, because I'm working on mastering a new power." He added, noticing how Brooke opened her mouth to argue- and Jayden didn't want to tell the team about the beetle disk, but he wasn't going to let his childhood friend go into a battle alone.

Jayden walked to the front of the room, pulling the orange disk out of his pocket, and Brooke sat back as the others walked up to inspect it. Despite the emotionless façade he wore, she could tell that the crisis he had during battle was still present on his mind. His blue eyes showed the emotions he tried to keep hidden, mostly stress. The others didn't seem to notice, though, and she didn't pry. They both liked their secrets and internal conflicts, it seemed.

"So, that's what you've been doing today." Mia mused, looking at the orange disk that Jayden held.

"A new disk? What is it?" Kevin wondered aloud, and Ji spoke.

"There are several disks that have been passed down from previous generations of samurai," The older man explained, his eyes sliding to Brooke, who was staring at Jayden with a mix of worry and stress. "The silver rangers held disks of their own, as well."

Brooke perked up at that, knitting her brows. So, she had disks? If so, where were they, and how were they used? The questions that surfaced caused a headache to start to form, mixing with the overall frustration. It was too much to ask for things to have an answer, wasn't it? The silver ranger chewed on her bottom lip again, running a clawed hand over her face, her eyes flashing gold.

"Most of the disks have been lost in battle," Jayden added, and that caused more questions to arise. There's no way all of the disks for the silver rangers could be lost, right? Brooke knew the rangers had a bad track record with keeping everything in order, as it seemed like half of the zords and disks were god knows where, but _all of them_? It seemed unlikely. "With this, we have a chance at beating the nighlok!"

Jayden knew he was bad at team pep-talks, and that fact proved itself as his words hung in the air. His blue eyes slid to Brooke, well, the empty space where the silver ranger had sat. That made the red grit his teeth slightly but shoved the unknown emotion that rose to his chest aside. He didn't really pay attention to the meeting- only answering the team's questions with somewhat cryptic answers and then leaving the room.

Jayden spotted Brooke leaning against one of the walls near the meeting room, and she didn't even raise her head from where she was watching her claws grow in and willing them away- repeating the actions again and again. "Heya, Red." The silver ranger greeted, and Jayden jumped slightly in surprise, as he was standing at the end of the hall, and Brooke didn't even look in his general direction.

"Are you doing alright? You left in the middle of the meeting." Jayden asked, and Brooke raised her head, willing her claws away and pushing herself off of the wall.

"Yeah, just have a lot on my mind. Sorry for snapping at you during battle, the nighlok just set me off," Brooke apologized, a faint smile on her face. Grey-gold eyes flickered to the beetle disk in Jayden's hand, and she debated making a snarky comment. "Anyways, don't you have a disk to master?" She knew she hit a sore spot with that one, by the way Jayden set his jaw.

The red ranger let out a quiet sigh, looking at the silver ranger with knit brows. "Why do you do it?" Jayden asked, and felt slightly guilty as he watched Brooke pale slightly, her eyes widening and landing on a pure gold color.

"Specify please, I do a lot." Brooke joked, but it fell short when Jayden didn't find it funny, his blue eyes boring into her now gold ones- which flashed and soon settled on a grey-gold.

"That," Jayden replied, and Brooke knit her brows, confusion etched on her face. "You hide behind jokes." He added, and Brooke sighed.

"You do the same, Red. The emotionless expression, it's an act, isn't it?" Brooke deflected his question with her own, watching as Jayden blinked at her in surprise. "Your reaction's telling me I'm right. So, the pot's calling the kettle black here, my dear friend." The silver ranger teased, throwing up her normal grin as she patted the red on the shoulder.

However, as she made a move to walk away, Brooke was stopped by Jayden grabbing her wrist, and he watched as her claws grew in, fingernails growing in length and becoming jagged and sharp. "Brooke. What changed?" Jayden asked quietly, and Brooke's grin fell. Well, at least now he knew that she was hiding something, he didn't know what.

"A lot, Red. Seven years is a long time," Brooke murmured, eyes flashing as she smiled sadly. "And it's not like I can remember what I was like back then anyways. I'm sorry if I'm not who you expected I would be, I truly am."

Jayden dropped her wrist, shaking his head. This was the direction he didn't want things to go in. The red ranger racked his brain, trying to find something to dig himself out of the hole that he found himself in. He knew they were both too stressed to get anywhere with this conversation, too high-strung on emotions that they both tried to keep hidden. Still, Jayden tried to make things less awkward. _Tried_.

"You're fine the way you are." Jayden murmured, but it didn't matter. His words hung in the air, as Brooke had already left, her silently walking down the hall. That fact alone caused the red ranger to let out a quiet groan of annoyance- annoyance at himself. Staring down at the beetle disk, Jayden resisted the urge to throw it against the wall out of frustration.

Brooke was right, seven years was a long time. It was too long of a time for his liking, and he cursed himself for not telling her that. Not telling her how he had missed her, and how she has brought some form of joy into his life, appearing again. Jayden hadn't told her that he enjoyed having her by his side, if not more than he did when they were children.

* * *

A full moon hung in the sky as Jayden swung his Fire Smasher over his head, the weapon ablaze. Wolf-Brooke watched out of sight, laying at the edge of the woods, golden eyes trained on her childhood friend. While the wolf's eyesight made everything easier to see, the flames lit up the area- the brown wolf watching in concern. She didn't want Jayden to combust, and from what she's seen- it could be a possibility.

With a yell and a burst of light, Jayden got blown back for the umpteenth time- Brooke losing track of how many times she's heard him yell and collide with the gravel. If the brown wolf could sigh, she would've. Instead, she stood up from her hiding spot and padded over to where the red ranger and his Fire Smasher both laid- nudging the weapon away from its owner before he could grab it. The moonlight illuminated her brown and white fur, golden eyes seemingly glowing as wolf-Brooke sat on her haunches in front of the Fire Smasher.

Jayden was too exhausted to shoot a glare at the wolf, but he pushed himself up so that he was sitting on the gravel. "Brooke," Jayden started, and wolf-Brooke's ears twitched, watching him without a response. He could still see the small glint of amusement in her gold eyes, but couldn't read anything else. It's not like Brooke could carry an expression at the moment. "Brooke, please." He pleaded, and wolf-Brooke's white and brown tail wagged slowly.

"You're being awfully stubborn, you know that, right?" Jayden grumbled, staggering to his feet. The brown wolf let out a bark in response, tail wagging slightly faster and pushing gravel aside.

"I need to do this, Brooke. The team is depending on me, the _world_ is depending on me. I must do this," Jayden argued, and wolf-Brooke's ears twitched. "I can't really understand you, Brooke. Please, shift back." He begged, and he swore the wolf raised a brow. Or maybe it was the exhaustion getting to him.

The brown wolf rose to her paws, shaking out gravel dust from her fur, and in a series of cracking noises, Brooke shifted back. This caught Jayden by surprise, as he was sure wolf-Brooke would've mocked him for longer. Still, the silver ranger said nothing, crossing her arms over her chest and raising a brow- and the red let out a sigh.

"Being silent isn't going to help, Brooke." Jayden chided, seeing the corners of Brooke's lips twitch before she spoke.

"What's on your mind?" It was more of a demand than a question, and Jayden noticed that she was still dressed in her street clothes, a long-sleeved grey and white striped shirt with light blue jeans, and it made him wonder how long she's been out here. How long she's been watching him mutter to himself, saying how he had to master the disk. _Partly for her._ "Being silent isn't going to help, Jayden." Brooke mocked when he didn't respond, and Jayden shot her a glare.

The moon cast her in a silver glow, and Jayden was taken aback by how _pretty_ he thought she was. Still, he didn't voice that aloud. "Brooke, I need to do this." He repeated, and Brooke rolled her eyes.

" _Christ, Red._ Yeah yeah, you're the red ranger- the one who's fated to save the day and all that bullshit," Brooke's eyes flashed, and she quirked a brow as she maintained steady eye contact with Jayden. "I'm not asking what's on the red ranger's mind, I'm asking what Jayden's thinking about. You don't have to act like a leader around me, I'm not going to flip shit because you have worries, or _god forbid_ \- human emotions. You're Jayden Shiba before you're the red ranger to me, alright?" She reassured Jayden and watched as what seemed like relief washed over his face.

"I care about you," Jayden blurted, and Brooke raised her brows, eyes flashing again. "I feel guilty- watching you fight that nighlok alone made me realize some things and," He let out a heavy sigh, trying to will away the heat coming to his face. "I'm sorry if that makes you uncomfortable-"

"Red, it's okay," Brooke cut off Jayden's nervous rambling, the red ranger blinking owlishly at the silver, who wore a small, genuine, smile. "If I didn't care about you- er, well, didn't care about you like I do, I wouldn't be out here. I'm just worried, y'know? You've just seemed off all day." She remarked, picking up Jayden's Fire Smasher from where it laid on the ground.

"This whole thing's just stressing me out," Jayden confessed, motioning to the Fire Smasher, which Brooke was leaning on. "And you wanting to take on the nighlok alone worries me, I don't know why. Because I know you're capable, it's just," Letting out a heavy sigh, Jayden ran a hand through his sweaty light brown hair. "Worrying."

Brooke tapped the toe of her boot on the gravel, chewing her bottom lip. "You're really something, y'know that? You're the first person who's ever been that concerned about my safety, and you're really nice to someone who can't remember you." She spoke softly, looking down at the Fire Smasher and tracing some of the details on the weapon with her fingertips. Brooke noticed that her claws were fully bared, but she just let out a quiet sigh and willed them away.

"You're here now, and that's more than enough. I thought I was never going to see you again," Jayden remarked with a small, sad, laugh. "But here you are- standing in front of me. You're one of the people I had wished to see again, and now you're _living_ with me. And you can't remember me, but- that's fine. You're here, and you're _Brooke_." He wasn't even processing or filtering the words coming out of his mouth- Jayden was too exhausted for that.

Brooke opened her mouth to respond but jumped in surprise when the beetle disk started glowing on its own. Shooting a wide-eyed look at Jayden, she held out the heavy weapon to its owner. "Uh, this thing gonna make me catch on fire?" She muttered, eyeing the Fire Smasher warily as Jayden took it out of her hand.

"Well, let's prevent that from happening," Jayden replied, glancing at the beetle disk, which had stopped glowing. "That obviously meant _something_ , so, can you step back? I don't want you getting set on fire."

"Fine by me. Light 'em up, Red." Brooke answered, shifting and walking a couple of feet away from Jayden and the Fire Smasher, keeping a safe distance.

"Thank you," Jayden called, and wolf-Brooke responded by wagging her tail slowly and sitting on her haunches, watching the red ranger with gold eyes.

With one last glance at the brown wolf, Jayden let out a heavy sigh and steeled himself for whatever the disk would throw at him. Spinning the beetle disk, the red ranger watched as the Fire Smasher lit aflame, per usual. However, the flames were higher and brighter than before, and the brown wolf watched in a mixture of curiosity and concern as Jayden let out a yell. The Fire Smasher glowed even brighter- the flames almost turning white, but then they stopped altogether, the area being cast in darkness again.

The beetle disk welcomed its new holder- who collapsed on his knees, panting. Jayden's ears rang, and he tried to figure out what had just _happened_ \- why didn't he get blown back. Not that he was complaining, but still. It was a drastic change from the previous attempts, and the red ranger felt a small amount of the stress he felt leaving his body. _He had done it._ Gathering his thoughts, Jayden went to call Brooke another "thank you", but instead made a noise of surprise when he felt something wet lick his cheek.

"Did you just _lick_ me?" Jayden asked in disbelief, sitting back and shooting a confused look at wolf-Brooke. The Fire Smasher turned back into his spin-sword in a flash of red as Brooke shifted back, the silver ranger instantly bursting into laughter.

"Sorry, sorry, but you were just staring at the ground," Brooke laughed, sitting next to Jayden and waving her hand in dismissal. "To be fair, you're kinda dirty, so you tasted like… salt and gravel dust." She remarked, wrinkling her nose at the taste.

Jayden couldn't even find the heart to get annoyed at Brooke- he just let the girl have her fun. "You're really something," He breathed out, smiling faintly. "It's a compliment," Jayden added and watched as Brooke broke into a genuine smile. In the silver glow of the moon, he could see the light pink that was dusted on her cheeks- and that made Jayden's heart swell.

"Was going to take it as one either way," Brooke replied, ignoring her increased heart rate and the heat on her face. Laughing as Jayden shot a playful glare at her, Brooke stood, offering him her hand. "C'mon Red, it's bedtime, go take a shower." She remarked, helping Jayden to his feet.

The silver ranger let the red use her as support- as the exhaustion he felt was prominent in his expression. Brooke wrapped her arm around Jayden's torso, him wrapping his arm around her shoulders, his spin-sword disappearing in a flash of red particles. They both realized that they enjoyed being this close with each other, and Brooke just wished Jayden wasn't as sweaty. Still, the red and silver rangers walked- well, staggered somewhat back to the Shiba House, and Ji watched the pair from his hiding spot, a faint smile on his face.

The two rangers stopped at Jayden's door, the red standing on his own as the silver wore a ghost of a smile on her lips. "Thanks for being so stubborn." Jayden teased, and Brooke laughed faintly.

"Y'know, that's my best quality," Brooke fired back, grinning at Jayden, who rolled his eyes with a smile. "Go get some sleep- take care of yourself." She urged, and Jayden nodded.

"Will do. Brooke," Jayden called to the girl before she could walk away, her raising a brow and her eyes flashing. "Thank you. For everything." He murmured, and Brooke broke into the sweetest smile Jayden's ever seen her wear.

"You can talk to me anytime- I promise to not hold any red ranger bias towards you," Brooke vowed, her tone joking, but then it turned into a much softer one. "But, of course, Red. We're friends."

* * *

"You can't run far enough to escape my wrath! I'm going to flatten this place like a pancake!" The nighlok threatened with its thick accent, cackling, but was cut off by a hard gust of wind.

The gust of wind came from Mia, the pink ranger holding her open samuraizer with a look of determination on her face. The team, sans Jayden because he was still sleeping- but, the gap sensor must've woken him up. Or it was Brooke banging on his door and yelling at him that they were going to fight a nighlok.

The nighlok noticed the five samurai rangers, which had formed their usual line, Brooke in Jayden's traditional spot. "Ah, so it's you!" The nighlok snickered, raising its gun some.

"Hey, useless!" Kevin spat at the nighlok, and Mike and Brooke shared an amused look. That wasn't the best taunt the team's ever heard, and while Jayden's were _cheesy_ , they were better than calling a nighlok useless.

Still, the monster seemed to be offended. "Hey, that's my word!" The nighlok retorted, and Brooke rolled her eyes.

"It's showtime guys!" Brooke called to the four other rangers, flipping open her samuraizer and activating the brush portion. The others followed suit, the five rangers drawing their respective kanji. _"Go Go Samurai!"_

While the nighlok fired its gun, Brooke shifted, bouncing down the stairs and rushing the nighlok, the four other rangers doing the same. Still, the other rangers soon found themselves on the ground, and Brooke had to deal with the nighlok herself again. Gritting her teeth under her helmet, she really wished Jayden was at her side so he could just light the thing on fire and call it a day. Especially when Brooke got shot at, the blast making connection with her wrist and causing her to drop one of her katanas, and another shot hit her in the stomach, causing her to hit the ground.

"Brooke!" The silver ranger heard the yellow's worried yell, and Brooke grabbed her katana and jumped to her feet.

Still, the nighlok was faster, the barrel of the gun pointed at the silver ranger's stomach. "One shot and you're out!" The monster threatened with a snicker, and the silver ranger narrowed her now gold eyes under her helmet.

Brooke tightened her grip on her katanas- getting ready to slash at the gun, but a blur of red intercepted the nighlok. It was Jayden's lion zord- and grey eyes flashed when her eyes landed on its owner. As the lion zord sent the nighlok tumbling to the ground, smoke rising from the monster's body, Brooke made her way to Jayden's side, the red ranger resting his Fire Smasher on his shoulder.

"Thanks, Red. Didn't feel like getting shot today. Also," The silver ranger started, nudging the red's shoulder. "Welcome back." She greeted, and Jayden felt the corners of his lips twitch.

"Glad to be here," Jayden replied, glancing at the brown wolf, Brooke having shifted. "You have my back?" He asked, and wolf-Brooke let out a happy bark in response, wagging her fluffy brown and white tail.

"That big blade and wolf of yours ain't buyin' you any respect," The nighlok challenged, hopping back and settling into a fighting stance. However, Jayden didn't charge, and Brooke barked at him, hitting his legs with her tail. "What's keeping ya, scaredy-cat?" The monster taunted, and Jayden held the beetle disk in his hand, having a crisis, and the others yelled at the red ranger to do something.

Brooke shifted back, lightly punching his shoulder. "Hey, it's alright. You've got this, Red. Just clear your head, alright? I'm right by your side." She murmured, and then turned her attention to the nighlok, walking silently and calmly towards the nighlok. "Light 'em up, Jayden!" The silver ranger called, breaking into a sprint.

"Oh, so you've come to play!" The nighlok snickered, and Brooke didn't respond, only leaping into the air and shifting, her claws causing sparks to fly from where they connected with the nighlok. The brown wolf landed on all four paws, snarling at the monster and moving to attack again.

Jayden watched as wolf-Brooke attacked, gritting his teeth. "I've gotta try," He muttered to himself, putting the beetle disk on his Fire Smasher. The weapon burst into flames, and he tried to clear his head. The image of Brooke from last night flashed in his mind- she had stayed by his side, and Jayden came to the conclusion that he wanted, no, he _needed to stay by her side._

If that meant using the beetle disk, _so be it._ The orange disk glowed brighter, the flames rising higher, and Jayden heard the murmurs of shock and awe from his team, and the sounds of Brooke fighting the nighlok. Gritting his teeth, Jayden swung the Fire Smasher over his head.

_"Fire Smasher: Cannon Blast Mode!"_

Landing one last swipe of her claws at the nighlok, wolf-Brooke regrouped with the team as they put their power disks in the beetle cannon and fired. Shifting back, the silver ranger nudged the red's shoulder, wearing a grin underneath her helmet. "See, you lit it on fire, look at you!" Brooke cheered, and Jayden couldn't tell if the cheer was teasing or not.

"You guys know what to do," Jayden called out to his team, and the five rangers nodded, pulling out their respective zords. _"Lion Folding Zord: Megamode Power!"_

Shortly after throwing her wolf zord and drawing the symbol, the silver ranger found herself in the cockpit of the wolf zord, folding up her megablade and sticking it in the control panel. "Here we go guys!" She called, and the wolf zord bounced around some, letting out a happy bark and then rushing the nighlok.

"That's a whole lot of dread!" Mike commented through the comms, and Brooke laughed as she pointed forward.

 _"Howl!"_ Brooke commanded her zord, and the mechanical wolf did just that. A large silver burst of energy was accompanied by the howl, and it hit the nighlok, the samurai megazord trying to attack as well. However, its katana phased through the monster again, Jayden letting out a noise of surprise.

"It didn't work?" Jayden muttered in disbelief, and the megazord soon became an easy target. The nighlok attacked the robot, and the cockpit shook as the megazord landed on its knee. "I've got to try something else!"

Hearing the red ranger mutter through the comms, the silver smiled faintly. _"Silver Claws!"_ She fired off another attack, and the wolf zord barked, its metal tail wagging happily as the nighlok tumbled. However, she let out a noise of surprise seeing Jayden- just Jayden, standing the samurai megazord's shoulder, holding his megablade in one hand and the beetle disk in another. "Red?" Brooke asked in worry, keeping a careful eye on the red ranger.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing," Jayden lied, and was quite grateful for the wolf zord's steady gaze- golden eyes shining bright as it's silver ears flicked. "Hey nighlok! Over here!" The red ranger yelled, and the nighlok turned to him. He knew he was an extremely easy target now, and with one blast, he would be sent hurtling to the ground. "Alright, time to give this a megashot! _Beetle Zord!"_ His blade lit aflame as he threw the orange disk in the air, and he slashed.

The beetle zord appeared, and Brooke watched Jayden hop into the zord, the team's exclamations of awe floating through the comms. Knowing that the red ranger was relatively safe, the silver turned her attention back to the nighlok. Pushing her megablade forward, the wolf zord bounced ahead.

" _Christ, Red._ That thing's extremely slow." Brooke commented through the comms, waiting for the beetle zord to catch up. The wolf zord barked in agreement, and Jayden let out a playful groan of annoyance.

The beetle zord grabbed the nighlok with its mouthpart and flipped the monster over, the wolf zord lunging. The silver wolf knocked the nighlok out of the air, landing on its chest and scratching at the monster. Then, Brooke pulled her wolf zord back- it and the beetle zord making quick work of the giant moogers that the nighlok summoned.

" _Samurai Artillery_ ," Jayden called, drawing the combination symbol, the beetle zord combining with the samurai megazord. "Useless huh? Let's see how useless this is! _Beetle Blaster Megazord: Armed for Battle!_ " The red ranger challenged, and the silver rolled her eyes with a grin.

Brooke took her megablade out of the control panel, unfolding the sword. "Let's end this, Red! Light 'em up!" She urged through the comms, spinning the blank disk on her control panel. The blade of the megabade lit up silver- the silver ranger spinning the sword in her hand and pointing it upwards.

"Couldn't have said it any better myself! _Beetle Cannon!"_ Brooke heard Jayden yell out the attack and followed suit, slashing down with the megablade.

 _"Full Pack!"_ Brooke yelled, and the two combined attacks quickly took care of the nighlok, the silver ranger lowering her megablade. The nighlok exploded into a flurry of sparks, and the wolf zord and the beetle megazord struck their victory poses as Jayden called out his usual line.

_"Samurai Rangers: Victory is Ours."_

* * *

Ji gave the team the rest of the day off- as their first one didn't really go as planned, and the entire team now found themselves at Rainbow's End. Grey eyes flashed gold as Brooke scanned the rides, trying to ignore the headache that formed due to the volume of the place.

"Man, you and Jayden were in sync today!" Mike's voice snapped Brooke out of her thoughts, and the silver ranger made a noise of surprise as the green clapped her on the shoulder.

"We," Brooke tried to think of a reply, and Jayden raised a brow, having heard Mike, he and Emily walking up with cotton candy in their hands. "We just fight well together," Brooke concluded, glancing at Jayden, who nodded.

Mike grinned at Jayden, who rolled his eyes in response. "Well, the rides are awaiting! C'mon, no nighlok here this time!" The green ranger urged the team, and the silver and red rangers trailed behind some.

Another screams erupted from the rides, and Brooke grimaced somewhat as she took cotton candy out of his hands. Jayden noticed this and knit his brows, concern etched on his face. "Is everything okay?" He asked, and Brooke smiled faintly, waving her hand in dismissal.

"Just wolf hearing, it's just a little overbearing at times. But, let's have fun, c'mon Red." Brooke grinned, intertwining her fingers with his, pulling him forward.

For a moment, Jayden saw a ten-year-old Brooke, her long hair styled in pigtails as she pulled him through the woods, talking about the berry bush she found. He remembered those days fondly, and tightened his grip on the girl's hand as she smiled at him, the silver and red rangers walking hand in hand through the amusement park.


	5. secrets i'd never tell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some of Brooke's past comes to light, Jayden is still bad with words, and a nighlok that shouts the team's insecurities appears. What could be better?

Brooke sat next to Jayden, well, wolf-Brooke sat next to Jayden as the red ranger stood next to his mentor. The silver and red rangers had finished their training earlier, and now the pair, plus Ji, were watching the other rangers go about their training.

Jayden had his usual emotionless expression, and wolf-Brooke's brown and white tail wagged slowly as they watched Emily. The yellow ranger was sparring with Mike and seemed to be holding her own rather well, the younger girl landing powerful strikes. Soon, Emily had knocked the green ranger down, Mike hitting the ground on his back with a grunt.

"Emily's usually the one falling over," Ji mused, as Emily walked up to Mike hesitantly, rambling out apologies. "She's different with a sword in her hand." The older man commented, and Jayden laughed faintly.

"Maybe she can teach Mike a few things." Jayden wondered with a grin, and Brooke stood, shifting back into a human.

Grey eyes flashed when she watched Emily shoot more apologies at Mike. "The only thing is- I can read the guilt in her eyes from here. Which is a good and a bad thing." The silver ranger added, tapping her foot subconsciously.

Jayden glanced at his friend, it was the first time he's heard her speak since training began. She had shifted and stayed in her wolf form for a couple of hours, being mostly quiet. "How so?" He asked, and Brooke smiled slightly.

"Well, it's good that we all have some form of empathy, so we aren't heartless killing machines," She joked, as Emily was helping Mike to his feet and asking if he was alright in a worried tone. "Just, with holding people in high regard- and fighting alongside them, it can mess with the rational part of your brain. At least, it does for me sometimes." Brooke remarked, her eyes flashing again. She didn't know how many times she fumbled with a swing because she was preoccupied with making sure the others weren't getting killed. Which was something she was working on, especially after their run-in with the dreadlock nighlok, but she was progressing slowly.

Both Mary and Casper had told her, on numerous occasions, that she worried too much. And not about herself, either. It was always someone else, and Brooke chalked it up to trauma, but shook that thought aside, as Emily chased Mike into the Shiba House, raising her eyebrows. Sharing a look with Jayden, she broke into a grin and quietly followed the two rangers.

Ji let out a mix between a sigh and a chuckle, Jayden looking at him with a quizzical expression. "She's grown up, but her attitude hasn't changed much." The older man observed as the silver ranger seemed to hold her normal nonchalant attitude, and Jayden let out a small laugh, watching as the door to the Shiba House shut behind her.

"I suppose so."

* * *

Brooke watched as Emily held a bag of frozen peas, smiling at Mike, who was rubbing his sore back. "Here you go!" The blonde stated cheerfully, thrusting the frozen peas towards Mike with a cheerful expression.

Mike glanced down at the bag, reading the label, and looked at Emily with an expression of confusion mixed with worry. "Frozen peas?" He questioned, and Emily nodded, her usual warm smile on her face.

"It's like an ice pack! I was accident-prone as a kid, and they always healed me right up. Let me help!" The yellow ranger explained, moving to press the bag of frozen peas to his back, and Brooke snorted as Mike stood quickly, shaking his head.

"No thanks." Mike fired back, wearily eyeing the bag of peas.

"You really should," Emily urged, and soon the yellow and green rangers started their game of chase. "Mike! They'll make you feel better!" She chided, and Brooke saw the plate she was just about to step on.

The silver ranger moved quickly, grabbing Emily's elbow before she could fall, and catching the bag of frozen peas with her free head. "C'mon sunshine, don't go eating peas now." Brooke teased, grinning and revealing her sharper canines.

Emily didn't seem to find it funny, a look of guilt making its way onto the younger girl's face. "I'm such a disaster." She mumbled, and Brooke frowned, lightly throwing the bag of peas onto one of the seats, it landing with a dull _thump._

"Hey, don't beat yourself up now, you were trying to do a nice thing and tripped," Brooke scolded, her voice gentle but firm as she let go of Emily's elbow and picked up the plate. "It happens to the best of us." She reassured the yellow ranger, who seemed unconvinced.

"I'm sorry," Mike added, taking the plate from Brooke's hand and grabbing the frozen peas, about to make his way into the kitchen to return the two items.

However, Mike stopped in his tracks as Emily spoke sadly. "It's all my fault, I was being silly. I'm always messing things up. I'm sorry." The green and silver rangers shared a look as Emily beat herself up, Brooke's eyes flashing. It was uncharacteristic for Emily to be acting so down on herself, and it made the two other rangers concerned.

"Don't apologize, Em. Accidents happen." Brooke tried reassuring her, and her eyes flashed when Emily looked at her. She scanned Emily's expression and was surprised to find _jealousy_ sparkling in her eyes. It was faint, but still there, and Brooke took it as her cue to leave the scene.

She went to go pat Mike on the shoulder, cringing when she noticed her claws were fully bared. "I don't think I'm cut out for this right now," Brooke muttered so only the green ranger could hear, and Mike nodded faintly.

With that, Brooke was off, her feet carrying her to the outdoor dojo once again. It was empty now, which she breathed a sigh of relief at. Seeing the jealousy in Emily's eyes caused anxiety to swirl in her gut, and Brooke dealt with that anxiety with the best way she could. Summoning her katanas, the swords appeared in a flurry of silver particles, and she tightened her grip on the hilts. Her claws dug into the leather hilts some, but she ignored it and just cycled through her moves. Performing the familiar moves caused her anxiety to disperse somewhat, and soon, the routine was the only thing Brooke was thinking about.

A couple of minutes later, as she landed back on her feet from her handspring, Brooke's gaze shot to Jayden. She didn't know how long he was watching her for, but shrugged it off, sheathing her blades. "Heya, Red." Brooke greeted as her blades disappeared once again.

Jayden returned her greeting with a small smile, walking towards the silver ranger. "Everything alright?" He asked, his blue eyes scanning the girl. He noticed the tension in Brooke's posture, and that made him wear a small frown.

Brooke just wore one of her usual grins, nudging his shoulder with her own. "Doing just fine. What about you?" She asked, but before Jayden could respond, the gap sensor started blaring, the two rangers nodding at each other, sprinting back into the Shiba House.

* * *

Luckily, the nighlok didn't have moogers surrounding it, but the aesthetic the monster had creeped Brooke out some. It had three large and unblinking red eyes on its back, and she wondered if he could see out of them. She guessed not, because the nighlok didn't see her and Jayden running towards the nighlok from behind, Brooke in her wolf form.

"Surprise!" Jayden yelled, leaping up and slashing down at the nighlok, and Brooke lunged at the same time. Still, both of their attacks missed, the nighlok quickly rolling away from the silver and red rangers.

Brooke shifted back, drawing her katanas as the nighlok spoke. "The samurai rangers? I've been saying all the wrong things right!" The monster snickered, and Mike seemed to grow annoyed.

"Talkin' smack about people isn't cool!" The green ranger snapped at the nighlok, but the creature didn't seem too fazed.

It moved at an alarming speed towards Mike, him stumbling back some. "I know something about you! Your bike had training wheels until you were ten!" The nighlok sneered, the three red eyes on its back glowing.

"What?" Mike muttered in disbelief, and the green ranger went flying, slamming into a parking garage. The concrete cracked at the force, debris falling around Mike as he hit the ground.

Emily was at his side instantly. "Mike, are you okay?!" She questioned frantically, Mia and Kevin tearing their attention away from Mike and back towards the nighlok.

"What did you say to him?" Mia growled as she and Kevin settled into fighting stances.

The nighlok made Kevin his target next, and Brooke cringed. That was going to be two down, in a matter of about half a minute. "And you, blue ranger, you're just borrriiinnnggg!" The nighlok laughed as Kevin went flying, Mia moving to attack.

"Lousy cook!" The nighlok insulted, and the pink ranger hit the same concrete structure that Mike and Kevin did.

"Mia!" Emily yelled in concern, Mia hitting the ground hard. Luckily, they were all still conscious, Brooke and Jayden moving together as they stood side by side in front of the nighlok. "I don't get how he's sending everyone flying! All he's doing is saying mean things!" The yellow ranger blurted, confusion and concern in her tone.

"Keep your guard up!" Jayden warned, and Brooke couldn't even fight past her nerves to nod. "This one's tricky." The red ranger put the lion disk on his spin-sword, and normally, Brooke would've shifted.

However, the fear she felt was blocking everything else. The limbic system, which was the main part of the brain that was responsible for processing emotions, was also the part of the brain that controlled her ability to shift. So, when fear caused her body to stiffen up and freeze, her brain sent out the signal that she wouldn't be able to shift. Which wasn't the best thing, because Brooke wished she could just charge the monster as it sneered at Jayden. Instead, she just heard her heartbeat in her ears and felt her hands start to shake.

"C'mon, what tricks?" The nighlok mocked, pointing at the red ranger. "I'm just telling the truth! And my motto is, if the truth hurts, excellent!" The monster moved towards Jayden, and Brooke felt her throat close up.

Well, there went the main person who grounded her, because there's no way in hell she was going to throw Casper into this mess. Brooke willed her feet to move, so she could do _something_ to help Jayden. Her silver boots just stayed stuck to the asphalt, and she bit her bottom lip so hard it drew blood, her canines fully grown in. She was terrified of what the nighlok was going to say to her- because she had a list she could go down of things she was insecure about. And it was things she didn't want the others hearing.

At least Jayden could move, but when he spun the lion disk, the nighlok just swatted his sword away like it was nothing. "You're a red-faced liar liar pants on fire!" The nighlok cackled, but Jayden just set his jaw. "You've got a secret!" With that fact now hanging in the air, Brooke watched as her friend's back slammed into the metal gate that closed off the parking garage. The bars bent from the force that Jayden was flung, and Brooke cringed.

Brooke snapped out of her fearful state, calming her nerves and running forward. _It was just a nighlok._ She dealt with them on an almost daily basis, and who cares if it spat out insecurities? Well- the team did, but still.

"So you've finally come to play!" The nighlok snickered, and Brooke ignored the way her body shook and she broke out into a cold sweat. It was just a nighlok, and it was going to be okay. It always ended up okay, and she would just grit her teeth and bare it. Like she always did. "Let's see if we can tear away that false confidence!"

 _It was just a nighlok. It was just a nighlok. It was just-_ Brooke repeated the mantra in her head as the nighlok moved _too_ fast, and was _too_ close to her. _But it was going to be okay- it always ended up being okay-_ "Hmm, got one!" The nighlok's red eyes that were on its back glowing as the creature let out a mocking laugh. "No wonder your dad hit you!" This time it was loud enough so all of the rangers could hear, and Jayden watched in horror as Brooke shook violently.

"Huh?" The silver ranger squeaked, but it was no use. She got flung back, the metal gate _breaking_ as Brooke hit it with full force. She heard her katanas hit the ground as she rolled, landing on her side. Her entire body shook, and she wanted someone by her side.

At least she could shift, but the brown wolf took two steps forward and collapsed, Brooke's brain forcing her to shift back into a human once again. The silver ranger struggled to breathe, and she didn't know if it was because of the pain flaring in her ribs and back or her panic attack. It was probably both, and Brooke resisted the urge to scream as she demorphed, tears pricking her eyes as her suit dissolved into the silver kanji for wolf, and then disappearing altogether.

Brooke didn't allow herself to cry, especially on a battlefield, so she just shook. It took all of her willpower not to lose it and break into sobs. She pressed on her eyes with the palms of her hands, almost trying to push back the tears as she sat on her knees. Her body was vibrating at this point, and Brooke just tried to remind herself that it was just a panic attack. It wasn't going to last forever- and that she was safe. She and Maxx were safe, and far away from James.

When she pulled her palms away, her vision danced with black spots for a moment. Brooke forced herself to slow her breathing, counting under her breath as she calmed herself down. Her gaze flickered to the other rangers, who were all slowly getting to their feet, sans Emily.

The nighlok's taunts seemed to be ineffective against Emily, as she just landed calculated and powerful strikes. Every time the nighlok spat something that would've sent the others flying, the yellow ranger just returned with her yell and strikes.

 _"Earth Slicer!"_ Emily called out, her blade turning to the weapon, which represented an over-sized shuriken. "Take this!" The yellow ranger threatened, flinging her Earth Slicer like a boomerang.

"Hey, I cut people down, not you!" The nighlok snarled as it hit the ground, smoke rising from its body. The monster rolled a couple of times and then bounced back on its feet quickly. "I better go vent somewhere else." With those final words, the nighlok disappeared, Emily skidding to a stop.

"Yeah, go ahead and run, you loudmouth!" Emily yelled at the monster, then lowered her earth slicer to her side, the weapon turning back into her spin-sword with a flash of yellow. "I've got a feeling we haven't heard the last from that creep." She muttered, and the other rangers staggered over, demorphing.

Brooke followed suit, pushing herself off of the ground and walking towards the group with shaky legs. Her ribs seemed to ache in tune with the beat of her heart, but she ignored it as she made her way to Jayden's side. Jayden shot her a concerned look, but she just shook her head. It wasn't the time for unpacking trauma, and Brooke planned to keep it that way.

* * *

The walk back to the Shiba House was silent, every ranger consumed with their thoughts. But when they walked inside and settled into the meeting room, the meeting started, just like any other.

"That nighlok is a bully," Ji started, and Brooke nearly rolled her eyes from her seat next to Jayden. Well, no _duh._ "He channels mental pain and turns it into physical pain." He explained, and the team started their apologies, trying to explain their insecurities.

"He caught me off guard, it won't happen again," Mia vowed, the pink ranger's face set with determination.

"Listen, I may have training wheels, but…" Mike trailed for a moment, green eyes landing anywhere but the team's faces. "I didn't need 'em."

"And, I'm a good cook, right?" Mia asked nervously, and Brooke wished her insecurities were just about training wheels or cooking.

While Brooke knew she shouldn't judge the others, _"No wonder your Dad hit you,_ " was incredibly higher on the list of mental pain. God, she wanted Casper, he seemed to be the only one who truly knew what the nighlok's taunt meant, and she didn't feel like explaining her trauma to the others. She didn't even explain it to Casper fully, he just knew the basics, which she didn't even mean to tell him, but looking back on it, she was glad she did.

The others just nodded and let out hesitant agreements to Mia being a good cook. Kevin switched the topic, onto a somewhat more depressing one, but still. "Am I boring to you guys?" He blurted out, and Jayden piped up.

"You're extremely disciplined and orderly, Kevin. That's a great quality for a samurai."

Kevin smiled, nodding. "Yeah. You're right, it is." The blue ranger agreed, the compliment boosting his ego.

Brooke kept her head somewhat down, trying to make herself out of sight. She knew once she got called on the questions would start, so she was trying to make herself as little as a target as possible. Her claws snagged on her grey sweater, and she cursed silently, willing them away. To her surprise, they didn't, so Brooke just wrenched them out of the knit fabric aggressively and laid her clawed hands in her lap.

"Emily was the only one who wasn't affected," Mike pointed out, and the yellow ranger looked bashful. "That nighlok knew exactly how to hurt us, why couldn't he hurt her?" The green ranger asked, directing the question at Ji.

"Perhaps Emily has some special power." Ji mused, and Emily shook her head, looking up at the older man.

"It's nothing great like that," Emily muttered shyly, a weak smile on her face. "I was teased and called names as a kid, but my sister told me to pretend like the person teasing me didn't say anything at all," The yellow ranger explained, her blue eyes scanning the team. "And it really worked. So when the nighlok said those things to me, it's like he didn't even say them."

 _Just say no to the verbal abuse, it can't hurt you without your consent._ Brooke joked bitterly, but, truthfully? She was jealous of Emily's ability to roll with the punches, well, the hurtful statements. The silver ranger wished she had that ability- but words had affected her for a long time. Whether it be from herself or others.

"So, then why are you always beatin' yourself down? It makes no sense." Mike asked Emily, brows furrowed. "Unless that's what you really think about yourself."

The rest of the team winced at the green ranger's words, all sharing concerned looks with each other. Emily seemed to lose what little confidence she had held, deflating slightly.

"Well, no, but," Emily was struggling to find the right words, visibly tensing. "I'm sorry. I..." She mumbled, curling her hands into fists at her sides. After a couple moments of silence, she rose from her seat and left the room quickly, Brooke's eyes flashing as she watched the younger girl's retreating form.

"Mike!" Mia scolded, leveling a glare at Mike. "The nighlok's words can't hurt her, but yours can!"

Mike let out a heavy sigh. "I'll go apologize." He offered, getting out of his seat and leaving the meeting room.

Mia and Kevin left shortly after Mike, and that left Jayden, Ji, and Brooke. Feeling the stares of the on her, Brooke let out her own sigh, burying her head in clawed hands. She avoided making eye-contact with the two, hoping Jayden would just drop what the nighlok said.

He did the exact opposite. "Was what the nighlok said to you true, Brooke? About your-" Jayden questioned, but was cut off by Brooke sucking in a sharp breath.

The silver ranger's voice was weak and full of fear when she spoke. "Drop it, Red. Please. I'm okay. I'm safe now, so you don't have to worry about me." Grey-gold eyes met blue, and Jayden could see the fear she tried to hide.

"Still, Brooke," Jayden started, and he knew he was walking on eggshells at this point. It was shown by Brooke's glare, but he ignored it. "You don't have to carry stuff like that alone." He reminded Brooke, who sighed and ran a clawed hand over her face.

"Jayden. Drop it," Brooke repeated, her voice much firmer, lips curled around her canines. "I'm serious. I don't feel like delving into trauma-land right now, because it's not a good place. I'm fine now. It happened years ago at this point, water under the bridge." She felt her body shake, and she tried to focus on her breathing, keeping her emotions in check. Shifting due to a spike in negative emotions caused a lot of energy to be used up, and there was a chance that the shifter could lose control of their wolf side, losing their humanity until they calmed down. Brooke recalled shifting due to a particularly bad mood swing, it causing her to lose her humanity, and when she snapped back to herself, she was covered in blood, a dead deer laying a couple of feet away from her. Not the best times.

"Water under the bridge?" Ji echoed, shooting a quizzical look at Jayden. The red ranger just shook his head, brows furrowed. "Brooke, what exactly did the nighlok say to you?" Ji questioned, and Brooke buried her head in her hands.

Not knowing if she would get lectured for telling Ji to drop it, Brooke just let out a sigh. "Nothing extraordinary. Insecurities, like the others." Her voice was muffled by her hands, and she had a lisp due to her canines.

"Brooke, you know what I mean," Ji chided, and frankly, he was worried. Did she learn about Nate? If so, that would cause a lot of turmoil that the older man wanted to avoid. While he didn't want to make the silver ranger upset, he needed to know. "What did the nighlok say to you?" Ji asked again.

A growl rose from Brooke's throat, and raised her head, making direct eye-contact with the man. "Nothing extraordinary. It was nothing." Brooke repeated, her voice emotionless. The quivering of her shoulders gave her away though, and Brooke didn't know if she was shaking due to anger or fear. Frankly, she didn't want to find out, shoving the emotions down.

"Brooke, it's not nothing," Jayden argued, a look of annoyance of his face. The annoyance was the one he felt when he wasn't being taken seriously, the discussion between the silver and red rangers unmoving.

Jayden was unwavering from this argument, and so was Brooke, and neither of the rangers backed down. The two were known as the most stubborn rangers for a reason, after all. Ji recalled a time when they were both ten, and they had gotten into a similar argument. It was because Jayden was spending all of his time training, and to say Brooke was upset was an understatement. The two children bickered for about an hour until Ji had to step in and break it up himself.

The older man wondered if he would have to step in now, because the teenagers fired retorts back and forth quickly, unwavering from their positions. The rest of the team had heard the two and (not so) sneakily eavesdropped, the four watching the two with looks of concern. The argument went on for a couple more moments, not going anywhere until Jayden's temper flared.

Jayden raised his hand, anger laced in his tone. "Brooke!" His voice was louder than he meant for it to be, and Brooke flinched, her expression turning into one of fear quickly. Seeing Brooke's change in demeanor, his anger immediately got replaced with one of fear, his blue eyes widening.

"Don't hit me. I'm sorry- I'm sorry," Tears fell down Brooke's cheeks, and her chest heaved, taking in Jayden with wide eyes as panic overtook her body for the second time today. When Jayden stepped forward, she instantly scrambled back, boots squeaking on the floor. Brooke wrapped her arms around herself, her claws digging into her sweater as she tightened her grip. "I'm sorry." The silver ranger repeated, her voice quiet, panic written in her expression.

Jayden held out his hands in front of him, signaling that he wasn't going to hit her, hesitantly taking a step forward. "Hey, it's alright. I'm sorry, Brooke." He tried to make his voice as soothing as he could, but Brooke just shook her head, pushing past the others and running out of the room.

After Brooke left, the team, plus Ji, stood in shocked silence. That silence lasted for a while until Mike spoke. "Well, that means what the nighlock said about her dad hitting her was real." He concluded, and Kevin shot the green ranger a glare.

"Mike! Be respectful!" Kevin reprimanded, getting ready to launch into a lecture, but was cut off.

"Her dad hitting her?" Ji echoed, looking at Jayden in disbelief. Still, that meant Mary had been successful. Brooke did truly think of James as her father- but it didn't match up with what the older man had heard about the silver ranger's pseudo father. From what Ji remembered, James Wolfe was a nice man and did love Brooke like his own. It didn't make sense that James would be violent towards the girl he pictured as his daughter.

Jayden nodded, his mouth set into a thin line. "The nighlok told her that she deserved it," He explained, pinching the bridge of his nose and letting out a heavy sigh. He thought it as bullshit, frankly, because nobody deserved to get hit by their parents, and wanted to tell Brooke that, but it was too late. The look of fear Brooke gave Jayden caused him to feel like Xandred had skewered him, but emotionally. "But, we shouldn't discuss it without her. It would be a touchy subject for anyone, and I know Brooke. Us discussing it now would just make her more upset." Jayden urged.

"I think someone should check on her," Emily commented, a look of concern etched on her face. "Jayden, you're the closest to her. And if she doesn't want to talk to you, just let Mia and I know."

 _I'm still the one who caused this to begin with,_ Jayden thought bitterly, but nodded and left the meeting room. His converse made light taps on the wooden floors, and Jayden let out a deep sigh, trying to clear his head. He wasn't the best with conflict, and what happened with Brooke drove that point home. His stunted communication abilities made him wonder why his Dad made him stay locked up in the large dojo in the first place. Well, Jayden knew why. It was because he was the red ranger- and that was the most important thing in his life, well, it seemed like it. Still, Jayden thought he should at least have some ability to communicate, due to him being the leader of the team and all.

Stopping at Brooke's door, Jayden hesitantly knocked, wetting his dry lips and speaking slowly. "Brooke? It's Jayden, and I just wanted to check up on you. And apologize." He spoke through the door, and he cringed when he was met with silence. After a couple of awkward seconds, Jayden got ready to call Mia and Emily over to help, because he didn't know what to do.

However, it wasn't needed, because Brooke opened her door with a weak smile. "You can come in, it's okay." She grabbed his wrist lightly and pulled her into her room.

Jayden awkwardly sat on Brooke's bed, taking in her room as the silver ranger shut the door and took a seat next to him. It was identical to his, the only real difference being the leather jacket that was thrown on her desk chair and her doc martens that sat near the door. However, it did smell faintly of coffee and cinnamon, and it was strangely relaxing. Brooke noticed Jayden's inspecting the room and smiled faintly.

The pair sat in silence for a couple of moments, until Jayden spoke. "I just wanted to apologize for eali- you're a wolf again," He stated the obvious, and wolf-Brooke's tail wagged slowly. She rested her head on Jayden's thigh, and the red ranger blinked down at the wolf, heat rising to his cheeks. Jayden didn't even know why he was flustered, it was just an overgrown and feral dog, but his heartbeat still pounded loudly in his ears. Maybe it was because it was still technically Brooke, just in a different form, and it was her resting her head on his thigh. Pushing those thoughts aside, Jayden took in a deep breath and continued. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to trigger something for you."

He didn't know what to do with his hands, and Jayden didn't want to risk making her annoyed by petting her. So, he just rested his hand on the top of her head and prayed that it was an alright thing to do. It seemed to be, as wolf-Brooke closed her eyes, a seemingly peaceful expression on her face, her tail wagging slowly. Jayden smiled faintly at the sight and then wondered how he got here. If someone told him, just weeks ago, that his childhood friend- who was a wolf, would be happily resting her head on his lap, Jayden would've called bullshit. It was a strange situation, but despite the strangeness of the situation, he enjoyed it. He ran his thumb over the fur on the top of her head, surprised to find it so soft.

Jayden looked down at Brooke, who seemed to be enjoying his touch, her tail wagging slowly and her eyes closed. Smiling, he spoke softly. "I won't hurt you, I wouldn't. You have my word." He vowed, and after a couple of minutes, Jayden was surprised to find that wolf-Brooke had stopped wagging her tail. Knitting his brows, he peered down at the brown wolf and laughed slightly. She was asleep, and the only movements that came from her was a slight flick of her ears now and then.

Jayden found it cute- because it meant Brooke was comfortable enough to fall asleep around him. It reminded him when they were kids, when Jayden would have nightmares. Brooke had always found out and crawled into bed with him- sharing her stuffed wolf with him. Speaking of, his blue eyes landed on the wolf, which was sitting on her nightstand. It was worn with age, the fabric fraying in some areas and one it's button eyes a different size and color than the other, a replacement. Seeing the stuffed animal caused Jayden's heart to leap, because, it was still Brooke. It was the same Brooke that had held his hand and told him to squeeze it whenever he got scared when they were kids.

It was still his best friend, even if she couldn't remember him. They had both grown up, yes, but Jayden was happy to have the seventeen-year-old by his side like they were still ten. They might be fighting a war now, but Jayden was glad he had Brooke fighting alongside him.

* * *

The gap sensor blaring and her samuraizer beeping woke Brooke up, and she subconsciously shifted back into a human, feeling the roughness of Jayden's jeans on her cheek. Feeling her cheeks heat up, she sat up quickly, Brooke not wanting to start that conversation, and grabbed her samuraizer, and following Jayden as he ran out of her room. The rest of the team notice the matching shade of pink on Brooke and Jayden's cheeks and shared knowing looks. Still, the pink faded as the team reached downtown. The six rangers glared at the nighlok, forming their usual line.

"Anyone ever tell you you're a bully?!" Mia snapped at the nighlok, a look of determination on her face. The entire team was ready to finally end the creature, and not get blown back in the process. Hopefully, this time they wouldn't.

"Yup!" The nighlok chuckled. "Nicest thing anyone's ever said to me!"

"I wasn't loved as a child, but you don't see me acting like a complete dick," Brooke joked, her samuraizer making the familiar noise when she flipped the device open. Noticing Jayden's disappointed look, the silver ranger snorted. "Humor is a valid coping mechanism, y'know?" She replied cheekily, and Jayden rolled his eyes, nudging Brooke at then leading the charge,

 _"Samuraizer: Go Go Samurai!"_ The six drew their symbols and the ranger suits appeared on their bodies, the team drawing their blades and settling into fighting stances. "Rangers _Together: Samurai Forever!"_ They all yelled the statement in unison and got ready to charge the monster.

The nighlok had other plans, snickering. "More like heartbroken forever! I know the truth about you, and you're really gonna have it!" The nighlok had decided to make Kevin its target, quickly moving closer to the blue ranger. Kevin moved to attack, but it was already too late, the three eyes on the nighlock's back flashing red as it spoke. "Mentor's Little Pet!"

With the insult, Kevin went flying, just like when they fought the monster the first time. Brooke froze for a moment, but then shook the negative thoughts out of her head. They were going to get through it, just like they always did. Plus, she had Jayden by her side, the red ranger radiating a "take no shit" attitude as he readied his spin-sword. Still, Kevin eating concrete before the battle even truly started was worrying.

"This isn't good." Brooke and Jayden stated in unison, and the other rangers, sans Kevin, shared knowing looks under their helmets. They noticed that the silver and red rangers seemed even more in sync than usual now, and it was amusing to watch, in a sense.

"Get away, weaklings! My business is with the yellow ranger!" The nighlok threatened, pointing a finger at Emily and summoning moogers.

"Go get 'em, Sunshine!" Brooke called to Emily, before jumping into battle herself, ducking before Jayden could hit her with his fire smasher.

Emily nodded, and the yellow ranger rushed forward, making quick progress with the nighlok. She kept fighting through most of the insults, and with the help of Mike, she let off a powerful attack that knocked the nighlok off its feet, the monster having stones shoved into its mouth. The team regrouped, Mike giving Emily a congratulatory side-hug.

Brooke nudged Jayden, grinning at him underneath the helmet. "Do what you do best. Light 'em up, Red." She urged the red ranger, who laughed slightly.

"With pleasure," Jayden answered, attaching the beetle disk to his fire smasher. _"Cannon Blast Mode_! Lock and load!" He seemed rather proud of the rhyme he created, and Brooke snorted as the original five put their disks into the fire smasher. Jayden fired, and soon the nighlok burst aflame, the rangers cheering triumphantly. However, the cheers ended when the nighlock grew in size and let out some witty comments that the team didn't pay attention to.

"Onto the second act, everyone!" Brooke called as she hopped into the cockpit of her wolf zord. The zord let out a happy bark, going into a play bow, it's metal tail wagging excitedly As the others formed the samurai megazord- Brooke still not getting over how slow they took to combine the zords, Brooke pushed the folded blade that was in the control panel forward. The mechanical wolf bounced happily, rushing the nighlok, who turned its back onto the silver ranger.

The eyes on the nighlok's back started to glow, and Brooke and the monster called out their attacks at the same time, Brooke pointing forward triumphantly.

_"Three-Eyed Zapazoid!"_

_"Howl!"_

The silver attack met with the purple lightning that fired out of the nighlok's eyes, but Brooke still got hit, the cockpit of her wolf zord shaking. She rooted her booted feet on the ground, clutching the control panel for dear life as purple sparks of electricity shocked her zord. The wolf zord instantly let out a pained whine, and Brooke cursed under her breath as she tried to keep steady footing.

"Brooke!" Jayden called in worry over the comms, the silver ranger regaining her footing and pulling her zord back.

"I'm okay!" Brooke responded, and her wolf zord whimpered, flattening its metal ears to its head. "It's okay bud. The others have our back." She soothed the zord, who pawed at the ground, letting out a whine.

"We do! It's okay!" Emily reassured the wolf zord in her usual cheery tone, breaking away from the main megazord. "Mike! You up for a combo kick?"

"Hell yeah! Let's do it!" Mike agreed, and the megazord's leg, which was controlled by Mike, kicked Emily's ape zord.

The ape zord, which was folded into its pyramid, was sent flying towards the nighlok and hit the monster in the face. The nighlok let out a snarl as Emily attached to the main megazord again. Jayden also summoned the beetle zord and connected it to the main megazord as well.

"What a dumb hat! What were you thinking?" The nighlok insulted with a sneer.

"Hey Red! Fire!" Brooke urged Jayden with her usual teasing tone, and her wolf zord let out a happy bark, regaining its composure.

_"Full Pack!"_

_"Beetle Cannon!"_

The silver and orange blasts hit the nighlok, and not soon after, with a couple more combined attacks, the nighlok ate shit, as Brooke liked to put it. But, as the nighlok fell, so did Emily, passing out from overexerting herself.

* * *

After the nighlok was defeated, the team took a walk around the city, Mike carrying Emily on his back, who was still knocked out, and seemed relatively dead to the world. "The nighlok must've gotten to her after all," Brooke murmured, her eyes flashing as she peered at the yellow ranger. She supposed that normal pedestrians just thought the blonde was taking a nap. "She did a good job of hiding it."

"Everybody has something they don't want to hear." Jayden agreed, glancing at Brooke out of the corner of his eye. Spending time with Brooke made him realize that he had feelings that he needed to keep hidden, most of them revolving around the silver ranger. The nighlock could've easily brought those feelings to light, but Jayden was grateful that the monster didn't. He just shoved the feelings down and hope they didn't come to the surface. Which worked. Sometimes.

"Girl's got guts! Her sister would be proud!" Mike congratulated, holding the yellow ranger in high regard. The entire team did, because if it weren't for Emily, they most likely would've still been picking themselves off of the ground. But they weren't, due to the yellow ranger. And the world was a little safer, which was a plus.

Brooke saw Emily break into a smile, obviously listening in. Letting the yellow ranger have her fun, Brooke turned her attention towards the road when she heard the cheery sound of an ice cream truck. The melody caused her to break into a faint smile, as the other rangers heard the sound a couple of seconds later, all of them perking up.

"Sure as hell sounds better than the gap sensor!" Mike commented with a laugh, and, in an instant, Emily had "woken up", wearing a large smile on her face.

"Did someone say ice cream?" Emily cheered, urging Mike forward. "Go go go! We have to catch up!"

As the five ran ahead, Brooke trailed slightly, getting lost in her own thoughts for a moment. However, it didn't last long, because she felt someone hold her hand. She looked up and Jayden, raising her eyebrows.

"C'mon, you've had a long day," Jayden urged, pulling her forward with a small smile. "Plus, I enjoy having you by my side." He added, mumbling, and Brooke's eyes widened, but she broke into her usual grin, shaking her head with a faint laugh, pink dusting her cheeks.

Letting Jayden pull her along, Brooke squeezed his hand, the red ranger returning the action. "Always will be." She vowed her voice barely above a whisper.


	6. a fever you can't sweat out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A heightened sense of smell does not prove useful against a nighlok that makes stuff smell bad, and Brooke realizes that quickly. Kevin goes hunting for a zord- and Jayden is wishing that Brooke would just stay in one spot for more than five minutes.

Brooke took her seat next to Jayden, stifling a yawn with her hand. The rangers were going about their usual routines, having breakfast and chatting about nothing in particular. However, they all noticed Kevin, as the blue ranger was precisely measuring out his granola, seemingly counting out each oat. Brooke and Jayden shared a look of confusion, the red and silver rangers watching the blue with raised brows.

Mike loudly dropped his spoon in his bowl, shooting an exasperated look at Kevin when the blue ranger raised his head at him. "What're you doing? Just eat already!" Mike urged, rolling his eyes at Kevin.

"There's a right way to do everything within the samurai code," Kevin replied, his usual grumpy look on his face. It gave Jayden's a run for his money, honestly.

Brooke snorted, nudging Jayden's foot with her own and breaking into a grin when Jayden glanced at her. "It's like watching a different species. And I thought public school was bad enough." She joked, stabbing a grape with her fork, not taking her eyes off of Mike and Kevin. It was amusing, as Mike knew what buttons to push to piss Kevin off the most.

The corners of Jayden's lips twitched into a small smile. "When you say that, should I be concerned?" The red ranger teased, and Brooke shot a disappointed expression at him.

"Haha, funny werewolf joke. Very original, Red." Brooke retorted, her voice monotone. However, her acting broke when Jayden rolled his eyes, the silver ranger breaking into her usual grin and popping a grape into her mouth.

Meanwhile, Mike was trying his best to annoy Kevin, the green ranger letting out a low whistle at the "Samurai Code" comment. "Wowwww, you're so wound up, I'm surprised you can digest your food." He snickered, and Kevin shot him an annoyed look. The look only egged Mike on further, launching into teasing comments and asking Kevin if the samurai code told him how to breathe correctly.

When Mia walked into the room, a silver platter in her hands, the playful mood dropped, being replaced with one of fear, the five rangers sharing worried looks. "Hey, guys!" Mia greeted, and Brooke suddenly became very interested in finishing her fruit, much to Jayden's amusement.

Brooke almost felt bad, the pink ranger seemed to enjoy cooking but was _god awful_ at it. The silver ranger remembered the chicken- well, the lump of charcoal that resembled a chicken. She also recalled her second night at the Shiba House, when she was still awkwardly trying to fit in with the others. Mia had made dinner, and Brooke didn't want to be rude, so she forced herself to eat it. The rangers, sans Mia, had shot her impressed and worried looks and then laughed at her afterward for it. It became an inside joke that Brooke was poison immune after stomaching Mia's cooking.

Setting the silver platter on the table, Mia beamed proudly. "I came up with a new recipe!" She declared happily, and Brooke's eyes flashed gold for a moment.

The silver ranger pointed her fork at the platter, quirking a brow. "Oh? What is it?" Brooke wondered, and Jayden felt himself grow pale when he noticed that his childhood friend seemed to be planning something. Her grey eyes sparkled with mischief as she looked at Jayden, and he inwardly cringed. "I'm sure our dear Red here would love to try it." She added and snickered when Jayden shot her a look of disapproval mixed with disappointment.

Mia seemed to brighten up at Brooke's question."Well, I figured that everybody likes peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, so what better way to combine them with breakfast than," As the pink ranger pulled off the top of the platter, the five others all winced at the mess of eggs, jelly, and peanut butter. "A peanut butter and jelly omelette?"

 _It's not even the right color,_ Brooke thought worriedly, her eyes now a steady gold color as she eyed the mixture nervously.

Kevin seemed to throw the samurai code out the window, dumping his granola in his bowl and eating quickly, which Mike picked up on. "Precision and discipline, huh?" Mike commented with a shit-eating grin, ignoring Kevin's glare.

"It's… interesting." Jayden stated, trying to force himself to act intrigued, a bead of sweat rolling down his jaw. Mia's cooking was a bigger threat than the nighlok, it seemed like.

Brooke saw right through his acting and laughed quietly. "Eat it, bet." She challenged Jayden, and let out a fake noise of pain when the red ranger lightly hit her- well, it was more of a tap, in response.

"Really unique!" Emily added, her smile forced as she looked at the mixture with a wary expression. "But should you really mix sweet and savory first thing in the morning?" The yellow ranger questioned, and Mia didn't seem to pick up on hidden meaning.

"Why don't you try it and tell me what you think?" Mia suggested brightly, and Emily shook her head.

"I just ate, but thank you." The younger girl answered quickly, and Mia turned her attention to Brooke, who raised her bowl of fruit without a word.

All of the rangers sighed in relief when Mia covered the concoction, but that relief was replaced with confusion when Ji partially jogged into the room.

"Everyone, I have excellent news," Ji greeted, and the six looked at him with confusion etched on their faces. "The swordfish zord has been spotted at Limitua Beach." The older man declared, and Jayden perked up.

"Swordfish?" Mia echoed, and Ji nodded.

"It was lost in action years ago," Ji explained, and Brooke resisted the urge to make a snarky comment. _So were the silver rangers' disks, but that didn't seem to be important, but the fish is._ "If we didn't catch it now, who knows when we'll get another chance." The older man seemed excited at the thought, but the excitement soon got replaced with concern as the gap sensor and Brooke's samuraizer started going off in unison.

Jayden stood, but was having what seemed like a crisis, his blue eyes filling with conflict. Brooke noticed this and shot him a look of concern over her samuraizer, but he didn't seem to notice.

"Kevin," Jayden called the blue ranger, who stood quickly. "Are you up for a solo mission?" He asked, and Kevin beamed.

"Up for it? I've been waiting my whole life for it!" Kevin answered enthusiastically, but Jayden didn't return the enthusiasm.

"We'll handle the nighlok, and you go catch the zord," The red ranger commanded, his voice emotionless. "With you holding the symbol power of water, I'm confident you can catch the zord." With Jayden's urge, Kevin nodded and rushed out of the room.

Once Kevin left, Mike turned his attention to Brooke with a grin. "Alright miss werewolf, where we headed today?" He asked the silver ranger, who looked at him with a deadpan expression.

Closing her samuraizer and shoving it into the pocket of her grey and white flannel, Brooke let out a heavy sigh at the nickname. "Parking garages, our favorite. I know a way." Brooke replied, and the team was off, the brown wolf leading the way.

* * *

The five reached the parking garage, Brooke shifting back as the team noticed a man dressed in a suit lying on the ground, clutching his chest. Mike and Emily rushed over to the man, and Brooke wrinkled her nose, coughing.

The whole area smelt _bad_ \- and it wasn't just the stench of nighlok, which was strong already. The smell of garbage mixed with the death and rotten milk smells, and it caused the silver ranger to gag. Brooke already knew it was going to be a tough battle for her and prayed that her helmet had some sort of way to block out the smell.

Mia noticed Brooke's queasy expression, the silver ranger's face turning somewhat green, and knit her brows in concern. "Brooke, are you alright?" Mia asked, and Brooke sucked in a breath, trying to only breathe out of her mouth.

"I'll be fine. Let's just worry about the nighlok," Brooke urged, spinning on her heels and turning her attention to where the smell was the most potent. "There's the bastard." She muttered, her claws growing in.

The nighlok chuckled, walking towards the rangers, Mike and Emily regrouping with the team. "People _do_ say I have a certain… air about me," The monster laughed at its own joke, and Brooke let out a growl of annoyance. "Not fond of my natural scent?" It snickered, and Brooke rolled her eyes, which had settled on a gold color.

"I've smelt better," Brooke fired back, flipping open her samuraizer, and blinking back tears as they formed in her eyes. Her body seemed to be already suffering the effects of the nighlok's power, and Brooke suddenly felt too hot, cursing under her breath as her body temperature spiked. "Let's wrap this up before I suffocate!"

_"Go Go Samurai!"_

The rangers morphed, and the battle commenced. Brooke was grateful Jayden was sticking by her side because the helmet was actually making things _worse_. Her head spun, and she tried to land a swing on the nighlok but missed, stumbling. Jayden was there before the nighlok could attack her, blocking the nighlok's attack and returning with his own, the red ranger standing in front of the silver protectively.

As Mike rushed the nighlok, Brooke and Jayden stepped back slightly. "Gotta love the wolf senses." Brooke joked, but it ended in a coughing fit, and she ignored the burning in her throat as she tried to regain her breath.

"Are you alright?" Jayden asked, his voice full of concern as he shot a glance at the silver ranger.

She was doubled over but still standing, coughing into her elbow violently. "Heightened sense of smell does not do well against a nighlok who specializes in making stuff smell bad." Brooke wheezed out, turning her attention to the nighlok. Still, she had to win the battle, so she tried to breathe out of her mouth as she settled into a fighting stance.

"If you need anything, I'm here." Jayden reminded her, and Brooke smiled weakly underneath her helmet. However, the smile fell when she noticed Mike.

The nighlok had the green ranger in a chokehold, letting out a chuckle as Mike struggled. "Once you get a whiff of my funky smell, it's knockout!" The monster threatened, and then breathed in Mike's face.

A green cloud hit Mike and caused the green ranger to hit the ground and roll a couple of times. "Did you gargle garbage for breakfast?" Mike wheezed, coughing as his suit disappeared. A look of pain on his face, he clutched his chest and fell to his side, Mia and Emily rushing over and checking on him.

Brooke and Jayden ran forward. The two rangers tussled with the nighlok, but they were both getting overpowered quickly. Brooke was trying to make sure that she could help Jayden out, but being in close proximity to the nighlok caused her head to spin. But, she did block the nighlok's arms as it swung at Jayden, and the red ranger did manage to land a couple of attacks.

 _"What the fuck?"_ Brooke yelled out in surprise as she found herself falling alongside Jayden and the nighlok. She heard her katanas and Jayden's spin sword clatter on the ground a few feet away from the pair as they landed on a pile of cardboard boxes.

The boxes did little to cushion their fall, and Brooke found herself almost landing on Jayden, the red ranger having a tight hold around her waist, preventing her from landing on her side. They hadn't demorphed in the impact, luckily, the two rangers letting out groans of pain. Still, they staggered to their feet, and as Jayden went to go collect their swords, Brooke shifted.

The brown wolf snarled at the nighlok, who had landed a short distance away from Brooke and Jayden. The monster noticed wolf-Brooke's raised hackles and bristled fur, but only let out a chuckle as Brooke lunged with a snarl. "Hey, take a breather!" It cackled, breathing a green cloud in the wolf's face. It caused Brooke to hit the ground, forcibly shifting back into a human, demorphing. Brooke clutched her tank top that she was wearing underneath her flannel with a clawed hand as she tried to breathe, watching Jayden with blurry vision. He got hit with the same green cloud, falling onto his back and demorphing.

 _This is less than ideal_ , Brooke thought, as she rolled onto her back and coughed violently. She felt someone shake her shoulder and looked at Emily's yellow helmet with unfocused vision. She couldn't make out Emily's voice, but Brooke assumed that the younger girl was asking if she was alright. "Alright- nighlok." Brooke urged, her throat raw, and her voice hoarse.

Emily nodded, and she and Mia rushed the nighlok, the two rangers holding their own pretty well. Still, they got hit with the same cloud, and fell to the ground, their suits disappearing in flashes of yellow and pink.

The nighlok looked at the four fallen rangers, cackling. "From my head to my toeses, I don't smell like roses!" The monster sneered, sauntering off, and Brooke tried to prop herself up, her claws scratching on the pavement.

Willing enough willpower, Brooke shakily stood on her feet, ignoring the burning in her body as she stumbled, dragging her booted feet on the pavement some as she walked, well, staggered, over to Jayden, Mia, and Emily. Sweat was covering her body, and she peeled off her flannel, tying it around her waist.

After helping Mia and Emily to their feet, the two girls stumbling back into the parking garage to go help Mike, Brooke turned her attention to Jayden. "C'mon Red," Brooke coughed, feeling her hair sticking to her forehead with sweat. "You gotta help me here." She urged, and Jayden looped his arm around Brooke's shoulders as she wrapped an arm around his waist.

They were both using each other as support, keeping each other standing as they slowly walked. Mia, Emily, and Mike were in the same boat, the five rangers sharing looks of exhaustion mixed with pain. They didn't talk on the way back to the Shiba House, the silence only broken by coughing fits.

* * *

In the med bay of the Shiba House, Brooke found herself gulping down air with ragged breaths, resisting the urge to claw at her throat. The nighlok's smell wouldn't leave her, and it made Brooke feel like someone was squeezing her throat, restricting her airway more and more as time passed. Mixed with the fever and the pain from the fall, she didn't know what to do.

After a half an hour, the painkillers were starting to kick in, but Brooke's body was slick with sweat. She had shed her flannel, which left her in a grey tank top and tied up her sticky hair, but it did little to help. Her hearing perked, and Brooke didn't really mean to eavesdrop on Ji's conversation, but it was the only thing she could do, other than listen to the others hack up their lungs. Brooke learned that the swordfish zord could most likely cure their fevers, and she breathed a sigh of relief, which turned into a coughing fit. Grey eyes landed on Jayden, his face screwed up into an expression of agony, and Brooke frowned, her eyes flashing. Feeling some negative emotion that Brooke didn't recognize swirl in her gut, she swung her legs over the side of the bed. Just laying on the bed didn't sit right with her, and her grey boots made no noise on the wooden floors as she staggered out of the room, using a wall as support.

With the others occupied with their fevers and Ji talking to Kevin, Brooke slipped out of the med bay without anybody noticing her. With uneven steps she reached the main doors and pushed them open, stepping out of the Shiba House. Flipping open her samuraizer, which she clutched tightly in her clawed hand, Brooke made her way down the gravel path, stumbling slightly.

The nighlok was still in the area, which was shown by the red dot on the small map on the screen of Brooke's samuraizer. It just hadn't triggered the gap sensor yet, which was fine by Brooke. With her being a shifter, she had more energy than the other rangers, and while this particular nighlok affected her the most, she couldn't let the others fight the monster. She could take another couple of hits if need be.

And that's what Brooke planned to do. She knew she couldn't defeat the nighlok herself- but she could hold it back until Kevin caught the swordfish zord. She could protect the others. _And that was enough._

* * *

The gap sensor blared, and Jayden's blue eyes snapped open. His gaze flickered around the room, doing a headcount. Mike, Mia, Emily, and-

"Brooke?" Jayden called out his friend's name, waiting for a response. It never came, and he cursed the silver ranger silently for leaving, glaring at her grey and white flannel, which was laying on the now-empty bed. He knew what the silver ranger was planning to do- and seemed to already be three steps ahead of the others. Brooke was crafty, Jayden will give her that. Shrugging on his grey overcoat, Jayden made his way to the doorway, sort of… slamming into it as he stumbled. Ji noticed and shot the red ranger a glare.

"Jayden, what're you doing?" Ji chided as Jayden let out a groan and used the wall as a support, staggering towards the exit.

"You heard the gap sensor, there's a nighlok to fight," Jayden responded, trying to sound nonchalant, but he tripped over his own feet and landed on his knees, letting out another groan of pain. His head spun, and while he usually carried a higher temperature than the others due to him being the ranger of fire, the fever was a whole different level.

"You can't defeat a nighlok in your condition!" Ji argued, shooting the red ranger a look of disapproval as Ji helped him to his feet. "Just wait until Kevin comes home with the swordfish zord! It can cure all your fevers!"

"Tell that to Brooke." Jayden retorted, wiping some sweat off of his brow and leaning heavily against a wall for support.

Ji furrowed his brow in confusion. "Brooke?" He echoed, quickly making his way back to the med bay. Spotting the empty bed, the older man let out a heavy sigh. He knew that she was probably long gone, and he also knew Jayden's concern for Brooke. They both would stop at nothing to keep each other safe.

When Ji walked back to Jayden, the red ranger was working on making his way to the doors, rather slowly. "The nighlok affects her more. I need to…" _Protect her._ "Help her. I'll handle the nighlok." Jayden declared, staggering towards the doors.

Ji didn't argue, knowing it was useless. It was ironic, the two most stubborn rangers on the team were the ones who worked themselves the most. He knew both Brooke and Jayden, and the lengths they would go to protect each other. From his perspective, it was incredibly concerning, but stopping the silver and red rangers were fruitless. They had been that way since they were kids.

"Jayden, Ji- where's Brooke?" Emily asked with a cough, the other rangers walking up as well, looks of confusion etched on their faces.

 _Being a colossal dumbass,_ Jayden thought, but he didn't voice it aloud. "She's already long gone. It seems she left awhile ago," Jayden explained, wishing that really wasn't the case. He knew the nighlok effects her worse, and _she_ knew that. The fact that she left- without a word, scared Jayden somewhat, but he didn't show it. He just willed those thoughts away, they wouldn't do him any good, and Jayden knew that. So he just shoved those thoughts into the basement of his mind, not planning to touch them anytime soon.

Mia had an almost impressed look of her face. "Brooke's sneaky." She mused, and Jayden let out a sigh, then gritting his teeth when the fever spiked.

"You don't know half of it," Jayden remarked. Brooke was even sneakier when they were little, disappearing for hours on end without a word, so he was somewhat used to the ditzy silver ranger. Or so he thought. "We have a nighlok to fight. Rangers, move out." He commanded, making his way to the heavy wooden doors, calling Brooke as the team shadowed him.

 _"This is Brooke Wolfe. I'm most likely busy at the moment, so just leave a name and I'll call back once I get the chance._ " Jayden sighed, flipping his samuraizer shut and breaking into an uneven jog.

* * *

Brooke made her way back to the parking garage, the brown wolf lunging at the nighlok before it could hit a mother, who was clutching her baby to her chest. Ignoring the nighlok's snide comments, Brooke shifted back. The woman seemed in shock, staring at the raven-haired teenager, who nudged her shoulder lightly. She saw Brooke's clawed hands and enlarged canines but quickly snapped out of it when Brooke spoke, her having a slight lisp due to her canines.

"Ma'am, please. Go. Quickly!" Brooke urged, and the woman got on her shaky feet and ran. Spinning on her heels, Brooke faced the nighlok, flipping open her samuraizer. "You're not making anyone else suffer today! _Go Go Samurai!"_ The silver ranger threatened, the silver kanji for wolf hanging in the air for a moment.

Brooke activated the symbol and felt the familiar suit on her body and unsheathing her katanas. _Let the games begin,_ she thought as she rushed the nighlok. Making sure to breathe solely out of her mouth, she avoided the nighlok's poisonous clouds. Brooke also heard her samuraizer beep, signaling a call, and she guessed it was either from Jayden or Ji. After fighting with the nighlok for a couple of moments, Brooke got kicked back by the monster, coughing. Even with her plan of breathing out of her mouth, it wasn't foolproof. The world was spinning too quickly, and with every breath she took, it felt like her throat was being squeezed tighter and tighter.

"The sour smell of defeat is headed your way!" The nighlok threatened, shooting bursts of energy out of its eyes. They hit Brooke directly, and she let out a yell of pain, her katanas clattering to the ground a couple of feet away from her as she rolled, demorphing at the impact. "Heh, you've lost your swagger and your outfit!" The monster sneered, watching the silver ranger as she crawled on her knees and reached her katanas.

Using her swords to prop herself up, Brooke coughed, feeling the sweat coat her body. She felt gross, but frankly, she just wanted to breathe again. She didn't even know if the others were coming- or just waiting out for Kevin to return with the swordfish zord and do his fish healing magic. Brooke didn't even know if she wanted the others to come or not, but pushed that thought aside and let out a yell, running into battle again.

Blocking a nighlok's swing with one katana and slashing with another, Brooke performed her usual moves. It was a sense of stability and control that the silver ranger welcomed as she twirled, hitting the nighlok multiple times. Still, she found herself landing on her back again, letting out a groan of pain that turned into a coughing fit.

"Three strikes and you're out!" The nighlok sneered, and Brooke found herself weakly gripping her katana as the nighlok's foot descended. "Bye-bye, ranger!"

As Brooke struggled to breathe, she squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the sound of her ribs cracking, but it never came. Instead, it was Mike's yell, who landed a firm kick on the nighlok and sent it staggering backwards. The rest of the team ran up as well, not morphed, but still had their blades drawn. Jayden made his way to Brooke's side, helping her to her feet and keeping a tight hold on her.

"Glad to see ya joined the party, Red," Brooke wheezed, smiling a weary smile at Jayden, which he didn't return. Seeing her friend's disgruntled expression, she let out a sigh, which turned into a coughing fit. Jayden tightened his hold as she leaned into his side, body shaking with every cough.

"Brooke, you shouldn't have done this." Jayden murmured, his voice soft, but he still had his traditional grumpy expression.

Honestly, Brooke smiled at the red ranger. She didn't know if it was the fact that her ribs didn't get broken, or because Jayden was standing by her side, but a strange sense of relief washed over her. "Don't look so grumpy. I'll be- DOWN!" Brooke cut herself off, feeling her senses perk due to the shift in energy.

The rangers tensed, getting ready to tank the attack of the nighlok's blasts from its eyes, Brooke saw a blur of blue. It was Kevin's dragon zord, who easily deflected the blast and flew back to its owner.

"Did someone order the fish?" Kevin called, holding what Brooke assumed to be the swordfish disk in his hand with a triumphant smile.

"Kevin!" Jayden greeted, and Kevin attached the swordfish disk to his hydro bow, nocking an arrow.

The blue ranger fired, and it caused blue sparkles to fall from the sky. The sparkles hit the rangers and cured them of their ailments, Brooke looking at Jayden with a cheerful expression as she felt her strength return. Plus, hearing the nighlok yell out because it was losing its powers was also satisfying to hear.

"Damn, fresh air is underrated," Brooke joked, and Jayden rolled his eyes, giving her shoulder a comforting squeeze and then stepping away. "Third time's a charm! It's showtime!" She flipped open her samuraizer and the others followed suit, the six drawing their symbols and morphing into their ranger suits.

The rest of the battle went fairly well, but while Kevin and Jayden set up the swordfish cannon, Brooke felt a familiar feeling wash over her. It was the feeling she was being watched, and she scanned the area, her gaze landing on a nighlok she hadn't seen before. Its body was skeletal and white, but it's face was red, and it was unwavering from Brooke's hard stare. Looking towards Jayden, she made a move to call out to him and point out the second nighlok but stopped herself when he and Kevin fired the swordfish cannon. Staying quiet, Brooke just glanced at the skeletal nighlok again, who nodded faintly and then burst into purple flames, disappearing. She stared at the space where the nighlok disappeared, her eyes flashing and lips twitching into a frown. _Well, that's ominous_.

"C'mon Brooke!" Emily's voice snapped Brooke out of her trace, and the silver ranger nodded, pulling out her wolf zord.

* * *

The megazord's attacks, combined with the swordfish and wolf zords', made quick work of the nighlok, and everything was going pretty smoothly. Kevin had combined with the main samurai megazord with a comment of "now we're popping," which made Brooke laugh. And that was all good until the rangers wanted to fire off their megablade attack.

"Okay, so, I've made fun of the megazord before but what in the fuck?" Brooke wondered aloud through the comms, staring at the swordfish megazord from her wolf zord. Her zord seemed to have the same thoughts, letting out a bark at the megazord and wagging its metal tail.

The megazord, the _Swordfish Phaser Megazord,_ as the team announced triumphantly, seemed normal, if you could call the thing normal. The katana sticking out of the robot's head, however? That was something else. Brooke knew the rangers liked their flashy attacks, she enjoyed hers as well, but this? This was the most absurd thing yet. She didn't get an answer, watching as the megazord swung its head around, hitting the nighlok with the sword in its head.

Rolling her eyes, she heard Jayden's call, and unfolded her own megablade, slashing in unison with the other rangers.

_"Swordfish Slash!"_

_"Full Pack!"_

The silver and blue attacks caused sparks to fly out from the nighlok's body, the samurai megazord striking its victory pose. As Jayden called his usual line, the wolf zord raised its metal head to the sky and let out a howl, which caused the red ranger to smile faintly.

"Samurai Rangers, Victory is Ours."

* * *

"Ah, the sweet smell of success!" Mike cheered as the six walked on the beach.

Brooke trailed behind some, grey boots sinking in the sand slightly. She just enjoyed breathing the fresh air, and not feeling like she was being choked, sitting at the shoreline. Jayden was talking to Kevin, presumably about important ranger things, and Mike, Emily, and Mia were splashing each other in the shallow water.

Brooke smiled faintly at the sounds of the three rangers' laughter, the tide cleaning the tips of her boots. She reached for her phone, but then remembered it was back at the Shiba House, along with her flannel. Now Brooke wished she had the flannel because she was starting to get cold in just her tank top. Wrapping her arms around herself, she laughed quietly as Mike hit the ground and got covered by a big wave, the green ranger yelling in annoyance.

"Are you cold?" Jayden asked, walking over to Brooke.

The silver ranger offered a faint smile to Jayden as he sat down next to her. "Yeah," Brooke admitted, wrapping her arms around herself tighter as she shivered.

"C'mere." Jayden's voice was barely audible, and Brooke shot him a confused glance, noticing the pink blooming on his cheeks. He held his arm out, and Brooke laughed quietly as she scooted closer to him.

Jayden was warm, and Brooke found comfort in the feeling of their sides pressing together. He kept his arm around Brooke's shoulders, tracing scars with his fingertips. The two sat in comfortable silence, well, it wasn't necessarily silence, because Kevin joined in the small splash war, the four rangers' laughter ringing out and mixed with the crashing of the waves. It was peaceful, and Brooke felt at peace for the first time in a while. Having Jayden hold her- was an incredibly peaceful feeling, and Brooke wanted to stay in the feeling for as long as she could. The sun was starting to set, the pinks and oranges blending together and reflecting off of the water.

"When we were little you always wanted to watch the sunset," Jayden mused with a small smile, and Brooke hummed in response. "You even made us climb onto the roof once." He added, and Brooke laughed quietly.

"Did I make you, or did you follow me?" Brooke teased with a grin, and Jayden only smiled, seemingly lost in a happy memory.

After a minute of silence, Brooke spoke again."I'm sorry." She mumbled, her grin falling, and Jayden shot her a quizzical look.

"What's this about?" Jayden wondered, and Brooke shivered, a chilly breeze hitting both of the rangers.

Feeling Jayden pull her closer, Brooke looked up at the red ranger. He had his eyebrows raised, concern, and confusion was written on his face. It made Brooke want to burst into tears because he cared a lot, and she- "For not being able to remember you. You care so much and- I can't remember you. It makes me feel guilty." She confessed, and Jayden smiled at her.

"It's okay. You're here now, and I'll take it." Jayden reassured her, and Brooke turned her gaze back to the sunset, resting her head on his shoulder. He allowed her to, adjusting his position so that he could hold her closer.

"I'm glad I'm here. Even if it means falling three stories and struggling to breathe because of some stink monster," Brooke joked, and Jayden laughed slightly. "Thanks, Red. For having my back."

Jayden hummed. "You do the same for me. It's only fair. Plus, we're friends." He reminded Brooke, who laughed.

"Yeah. We are. _Don't let me forget it this time._ "


	7. vows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With ten minute lectures and faking a wedding, Jayden realizes that his feelings for a certain silver ranger are worrying. The silver and red rangers have a heart to heart moment following a mental breakdown.

The next day, Brooke found herself sitting across from Jayden in the meeting room. They were the only two in there, and it was unnerving. An uncomfortable silence filled the room, and after a couple of moments, Jayden sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Taking it as the cue to start speaking, Brooke's eyes flashed as she wet her dry lips. "Red, what's this about?" She asked nervously, chewing on her bottom lip as she took in Jayden's disgruntled expression.

Instead of answering her question directly, Jayden started his lecture. It was about how she shouldn't fight alone, which Brooke found somewhat hypocritical. She knew that Jayden would do the same in the heartbeat for the team as well. However, she didn't bring that fact to light, just propping her chin on her fist and half listening to Jayden.

It wasn't the best thing in the world, but she easily just tuned him out, giving a quiet "mhm" whenever he hammered a point home. It was ten minutes of Brooke's life she didn't get back, and while she cared about Jayden deeply, she truly wished he would stop talking.

After what seemed like hours, Brooke breathed out a sigh of relief when she left the meeting room, running a hand over her face. "Remind me to never piss off Red again," Brooke muttered as she took a seat next to Emily.

The others, sans Kevin and Jayden, were playing with their zords. Brooke took her wolf zord out of her pocket, and the parallelogram instantly unfolded, forming into the wolf zord. The silver and black robot barked at the other zords, metal tail wagging happily, and the others let out their own greetings. The wolf zord hopped down from Brooke's hand nuzzling each of the robots in turn with its metal snout.

As the wolf zord playfully tussled with the bear zord, Mike let out a low whistle. "You certainly got an earful," The green ranger stated the obvious, and Brooke rolled her eyes. "What'd he even talk to you _about?_ It seemed like he had a list."

The silver ranger shrugged, twirling a piece of her hair around her finger. "Dunno, zoned out like… two minutes in," Brooke replied nonchalantly, and the three others shot her looks of disbelief. "I'm not joking. But don't tell him that, yeah?" She grinned, and Mia smiled gently at Brooke.

"It's because he cares, Brooke." The pink ranger stated, her voice soft, and Brooke furrowed her brows, eyes flashing.

Mike nodded, snickering. "I've never seen him more panicked. Jayden looked like he was about to have a breakdown." The green ranger added, and Brooke drew her knees to her chest, confusion etched on her face.

"Huh." That's all Brooke said, seemingly lost in thought as she watched the zords.

The wolf zord gave up trying to tussle the bear zord, and the wolf was letting out playful growls at the green and black robot. The bear zord chased the wolf around the table for a moment, catching the silver robot and the two launching into their playful fighting again.

"Huh?" Emily echoed, confusion written on her face. "What's confusing about it?" The yellow ranger questioned the silver.

Brooke's eyes flashed as she spoke, landing on a mixture of grey and gold."I never had someone lecture me because they care before," Brooke confessed sheepishly, avoiding eye contact with the three other rangers. "It's… strange."

"What about Mary? She's your guardian, right?" Mia asked, and Brooke snorted, rolling her eyes.

The silver ranger hopped up from her seat, holding out her hand. The wolf zord galloped through the air and landed in its owner's hand, curling back up into a parallelogram. "Mary's my legal guardian, yes, but she just lets me do stupid shit and learn from my mistakes," Brooke explained, attaching her zord to one of the belt loops on her jeans. "I'm gonna go for a walk, tell Red where I am, please. I can't take another lecture today." Not waiting for a response, she left the room, sticking her hands into the pockets of her leather jacket.

Brooke realized, from simple interactions like that, how different she was from the team. Not just because she was a shifter and all, but mentally and emotionally. She was thrust into a _kill or be killed_ world, with no memories of the years before, and she saw the cruelty of the world fairly quickly and had to fight to get where she was- trying to get James off of her trail. While she was away from James in distance- a six-hour walk, in fact, his hands figuratively clawed at her mind and heart. Still, Brooke shook those thoughts aside. He couldn't technically hurt her, it was all just her mind playing tricks on her.

Brooke repeated that thought in her mind as she walked, the familiar rhythm of her music playing softly through her earbuds. She didn't have any set destination in mind, and let her booted feet carry her down the streets. It honestly reminded Brooke on how she ran into Mike and the other rangers when she first revealed herself. It was a happy memory. Truthfully, not much time had passed since she joined the team, but Brooke felt like she had known the five for years at this point. She summed it up to the fact that they were fighting a war and saving the world together, but still, it was nice. Having five other people who were near her age to talk to was nice.

However, the happy mood dropped when Brooke heard screaming over her music. Pausing her music, she shoved her headphones into her pocket and ran towards the source, tapping into her wolf senses, footsteps pounding on the concrete. Her hearing led her to a church, Brooke skidding to a stop and flinging herself behind a bush before she could get spotted.

The heavy wooden doors of the church burst open, and a small army of moogers left first, followed by the source of the screaming. Two of the moogers had a tight hold on a bride, who was thrashing violently and screaming all the while. As the bride was getting dragged to a black carriage, Brooke reached for her samuraizer, getting ready to morph and rush in.

However, when she flipped open her samuraizer and activated the brush portion, Jayden's words replayed in Brooke's mind. The ten-minute lecture about how she shouldn't take on everything by herself played in the silver ranger's head, and she let out a heavy sigh, but quickly turned her attention to the bride and the moogers again. The screaming had stopped abruptly, the carriage, full of moogers and the bride, disappeared into a crack with a flash of dark red, going god knows where.

Standing up from her hiding spot, Brooke grit her teeth. It was going to be a game of cat and mouse- well, samurai rangers and a carriage full of moogers and a bride. Brooke started her fast-paced walk back to the Shiba House, dialing Jayden's familiar number and bringing her samuraizer up to her ear.

"Everything alright?" Jayden greeted, and Brooke ran a clawed hand over her face, letting out another sigh. "That's not a good sign." He added, his tone turning from caring to emotionless in a matter of seconds.

The nighlok plans to flood the earth seemed to be getting more and more absurd with each passing day.

"A bride got kidnapped," Brooke summarized, laughing faintly at Jayden's noise of confusion. "I can't make this up if I tried. She was taken by a bunch of moogers, and then they all went fuck knows where. That's all I got." She concluded, and this time it was Jayden's turn to sigh.

"Alright. I'll tell Ji and the others, just get here quickly." The red ranger urged.

Brooke nodded, but then realized he couldn't see her, which caused her to inwardly groan."Will do. See you there." Brooke replied, ending the call and breaking into a sprint.

Shifting and taking a shortcut in the woods, the brown wolf reached the Shiba House in record time. The shortcut she had taken led her to the edge of the woods that were near the outdoor dojo, and Brooke bounced through the underbrush and shifted back, walking through the back door and making her way into the meeting room.

"That was fast." Emily mused as Brooke took her seat next to Jayden, the red ranger picking out a leaf from Brooke's hair.

"Being a wolf helps," Brooke grinned, but her grin fell when she scanned the team, her gaze landing on Ji. "So, what the fuck is the nighlok doing with brides?" She asked the older man, and the rest of the team, other than Brooke and Jayden, shared looks of confusion.

Ji shot a look of disappointment at the silver ranger's choice of words, but Brooke just deflected it with a cheeky grin. "There have been several bridal kidnappings just on the outskirts of town. None of the victims have returned, so it's our job to rescue them." The older man explained to the clueless team.

"So, we're crashing a wedding?" Mike blurted excitedly, rubbing his hands together in anticipation. "That sounds like a fun plan."

Ji rubbed his temples, letting out a sigh. "Not exactly," He replied. "The plan is to throw a fake wedding at City Hall. If the fake bride gets kidnapped, it leads us to having a better way to rescue the women." That caused confused murmurs to break out, Emily speaking up with her brows furrowed.

"Then who's going to be the pair?" The yellow ranger asked, and Brooke and Jayden didn't like the looks the others were giving them.

Mike winked at Jayden, the red ranger responding with a glare. "I mean the obvious answer would be Brooke and Jayden, yeah?" The green ranger asked with a grin. "They know each other the best."

Brooke's eyes flashed as she shot a glance at Mia. She knew the pink ranger always wanted her fairytale romance, being fake kidnapped sounded like something straight out of a storybook. Brooke didn't want to take that from her and risk making Mia upset.

Mia seemed to notice Brooke's concerned expression and shot her a gentle smile. "You probably know how to fight the best in heels, because of you performing for dance." The pink ranger urged Brooke, who ran a clawed hand through her hair.

Brooke got reminded of her prom night junior year, when the nighlok attacked get and Casper. Her muddy prom dress hanging in the back of her closet at Mary's, a bitter reminder that she couldn't have a normal life, no matter how much she tried to.

"That's fine," Brooke agreed hesitantly, her eyes flashing as she turned her attention to Jayden. "Red?"

Jayden caught the smirks the others were exchanging, and let out a sigh. Still, after a couple of moments, the red ranger spoke. "That's fine." He responded, trying to fight back older memories of a younger, more naive version of himself with Brooke.

When they were little, Jayden had always given Brooke his full interest, she was a completely new character that broke the boring cycle that was the samurai training that was drilled into his head the moment he could form coherent thoughts. When he could walk, a training sword was thrust into his hands, and he spent hours on end hitting the training dummy until the muscles in his arms screamed in protest. It was a boring, bleak, and rather depressing cycle.

Brooke had broken that cycle for him- even if it was only for a year. He finally had something to get up for, other than his samurai duties. Ten-year-old Jayden had held ten-year-old Brooke in high regard, and that regard turned into a completely innocent childhood crush. Which, he didn't realize was a thing that happened until Brooke had stepped back into his life.

It had hit Jayden at full force and figuratively knocked him off his feet. The silver ranger was pretty, far prettier than Jayden imagined. With her fluffy black hair and sharp grey eyes, he found himself giving Brooke his full interest like he did when they were ten. The childhood crush had reared itself in full force, and every genuine smile Brooke gave Jayden, every teasing remark with a glimmer in her eyes that Jayden was captivated by- the red ranger found himself getting more and more lost in the feelings he dared not to utter. The feelings scared him, far more than any nighlok, because he had trained his whole life to fight nighlok. In all of the thick and dusty books on leadership that Jayden had committed to memory- none of them had a section called " _How to Lead and Act Unbiased with Your Childhood Crush on the Team"._ Why would they? It's not like samurai rangers usually fell in love, the war they had to fight was their first priority- their _only priority_.

Jayden had found out, at the ripe age of eleven, that he wasn't a child born from a loving relationship. His mother was just a woman his father found mildly attractive, no real affection attached. His father just used his mother so that he had an heir, someone to carry the red ranger title. After Jayden was born- the woman left, proving her usefulness and then getting discarded, the only reminder that she was there being Jayden's blue eyes. He had gotten all of his other features from his father. The fact made Jayden sick to his stomach, in all honesty.

Brooke's noise of surprise snapped Jayden out of his thoughts, and he inspected his childhood friend. She was nervous, by the way, she tapped her booted foot on the wooden floor and chewed on her bottom lip, and her canines have grown in size. Jayden was always enchanted by her canines, in sense, and wondered what they felt like if he- _Jayden. Enough._

He shut his thoughts off, going back into his emotionless state. It was an art Jayden had mastered over the years, and he was glad he did. It helped in battle tremendously, and it also worked at times like these.

"Wait, what? We're just diving headfirst?" Brooke blurted, and Jayden felt his eyes widen ever so slightly. That wasn't good.

It messed with his plans to just go outside and train, clearing his head of any thoughts about Brooke as he performed the moves he had mastered. This whole ordeal fucked with his emotions way too much, as Jayden was nowhere near as prepared as he would like to be. Jayden hadn't organized his thoughts yet, pushing away the ones that didn't pertain to the samurai rangers. He pushed the thoughts he didn't need to the basement in his mind- and the red ranger didn't venture down into that basement. He didn't plan to, just leaving the basement unchecked until he dropped dead, whether it be from Xandred or other means.

When Ji nodded, Brooke let out a heavy sigh, her leather-clad shoulders slumping in defeat. "The show must go on, I suppose." She muttered, shooting a glance at Jayden. Blue eyes met grey, and Brooke couldn't find a joke to say, so she just offered a weak smile, which he returned.

* * *

"When I became the silver ranger, I didn't know it was going to lead to me fake marrying my childhood friend." _And the guy I really shouldn't be interested in._ Brooke grumbled as she straightened her hair, Emily and Mia sharing knowing looks.

The three were in one of the rooms of the city hall building, where the fake wedding was going to be held. It made Brooke wonder how much Ji was paying for the venue, as it probably wasn't cheap, and neither was the dress she had to wear. The light grey wedding dress had an off-the-shoulder lace top, and the floor-length skirt was a slightly darker color, paired with light grey ankle strap wedges. The dress also included a thick lace choker, but Brooke refused it instantly, claiming that "she wasn't a dog."

Brooke had put the wedding dress and shoes on before dealing with her hair and make-up, Brooke straightening her hair, and Emily and Mia helped with the makeup. Once the yellow and pink rangers finished, they stepped back from Brooke with proud smiles.

"Take a look-" Emily urged happily, but was cut off by a knock at the door.

"Are you three done? I think Jayden's going to have a mental breakdown," Mike snickered as Emily opened the door, the blonde knitting her brows, a look of concern etched on her face. "He hasn't said a word this entire time. It's concerning, honestly." He explained.

Brooke pursed her lips, her eyes flashing. "Then we're starting off strong," She muttered, letting Mia attach it to her hair. "Rangers, let's move out." Brooke joked, flipping her veil over her face and leading the charge.

* * *

When the wedding theme rang out, and Brooke spotted Jayden at the end of the aisle, she nearly laughed. Mike was right, the red ranger did seem to be on the verge of a mental breakdown, but Brooke noticed that he did look nice in a suit, and the light grey tie he was wearing did suit him but shoved that thought aside as Ji walked her down the aisle.

The pews were empty, other than the team, and Brooke found herself wishing Casper was attending the "wedding", because he knew he would've turned it into a comedy show. Casper had already started treating it like a joke when Brooke had told him, making comments such as "damn, my Wolfie's all grown up :')". Mike was fidgeting in his suit, shooting a look at Kevin behind him. Mia and Emily beamed at her, giving her a thumbs up.

"Dearly beloved." The pastor started, and Brooke spared a glance at Jayden. Grey eyes met blue and Brooke winked at him, watching as Jayden's cheeks became a deep shade of pink. She laughed quietly, discreetly giving his hand a comforting squeeze, which he returned. Despite his emotionless expression, his clammy palms gave his nerves away. Not that Brooke was in any position to judge, she was using all of her mental strength to not break down and become a runaway "bride".

The pastor droned on, seemingly unaware of the breakdowns the bride and groom were about to have. Or if he did, he didn't really care. "We are gathered here today to join these two people- Jayden Edward Shiba and Brooke Amaris Wolfe. This occasion marks the celebration of love and commitment," _Not really._ "Between the bride and the groom begin their life together."

Brooke tuned out the pastor and tapped into her hearing so she could hear what was going on with the other rangers. She stared straight ahead, keeping her posture rigid. They were all still on alert- well, not necessarily. The team, plus Ji, seemed to be taking it either: as a movie scene, gushing at the silver and red rangers, (Mia, Emily), or way too seriously (Kevin, Ji), or just looked slightly out of place and uncomfortable, (Mike, Jayden, and Brooke).

Mike was trying to take it in stride, cracking small jokes about the other rangers and their mentor. "Dude, check out Mentor with the waterworks." Mike turned to look at Kevin, the green ranger's grin falling into a deadpan expression.

Kevin, who was wiping away his tears with a hanker-chief, sniffled. "It's just allergies," The blue ranger defended, his voice wavering. "The flowers." Kevin motioned to the purple flower that was pinned to the pocket of his suit.

Mike rolled his eyes, turning his attention back to Brooke and Jayden. "Someone get me out of here." He muttered, sinking lower into his seat.

Brooke agreed with the green ranger. It was going on for far too long, and she didn't feel like kissing Jayden Shiba for a fake wedding that didn't seem to be going according to plan. Luckily, the pastor was taking his sweet time, and Brooke thanked him for that.

"Love is patient, love is kind," The pastor continued. "Do you promise to be faithful to Jayden Shiba, forsaking all others for the rest of your life?" The pastor asked Brooke, and the girl in question nearly screamed, shooting a nervous look at Jayden.

 _Fuck._ Hiding her clawed hands behind her back, Brooke tried to put on her usual smile, the pastor was looking at raised eyebrows, urging her to speak. Eyes now gold, Brooke wet her dry lips, trying to think of something- _anything._

"In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed," Ignoring Jayden's wide-eyed look, Brooke sucked in a breath. The dress and shoes she wore suddenly felt too tight, and Brooke just suffered through it. She could just end up being a runaway bride, in all honesty _,_ but she didn't want to risk the plan _._ "You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire-"

Ji's samuraizer ringing stopped Brooke before she could finish her "vows". Which she was thankful for- she didn't feel like finishing the quote from a book she memorized and then impaling herself with her katanas out of embarrassment in front of the pastor. Her face burning in shame, she refused to make eye contact with Jayden, keeping her gaze locked on the floor. Brooke could feel Jayden's eyes on her, and she really wished Emily could use her symbol power to make a hole that the silver ranger could die in. This felt worse than getting her ass kicked by a nighlok. Because this is mental pain. And mental pain was far worse than physical pain.

Ji let out a heavy sigh, flipping his samuraizer shut. "The nighlok didn't take the bait." He explained to the team

When Ji uttered those words, Brooke held back a scream. _Oh great, now I got to embarrass herself another time. Just what I felt like fucking doing, in all honesty. Nothing screams fun like public humiliation!_ Brooke thought sarcastically, and she was sure Jane Wolfe was rolling in her grave at her daughter's actions, and Brooke wouldn't be surprised if her mother smote her. Brooke would take it, in all honesty.

"I thought our fake wedding would work!" Emily blurted, a look of disbelief on her face.

Ji shook his head, his mouth set into a thin line. "Not this time." He muttered, and the six samurai rangers, well five because Brooke was now counting the tiles on the floor, still avoiding eye contact, shared looks of frustration, annoyance, and disbelief.

* * *

Brooke, who was happy to be back in her leather jacket and dirty boots, took a seat next to Emily this time when they returned to the Shiba House. The silver ranger avoided making eye contact with the red, keeping her eyes glued to the map. Brooke felt queasy, and she wanted to throw up, and then lock herself in her room until the war was over.

"Hey, look at all these locations, they form a star," Mike noticed, tapping the map. "Maybe that's only where the nighlok was targeting, these five locations?" He wondered.

"You're right. Have you studied crime maps and patterns?" Kevin asked, and Mike grinned, leaning back.

"Nope. But I watched a lot of cop shows when I was a kid." The green ranger explained, looking rather proud of himself.

Jayden spoke, propping his chin on his joined hands, leaning forward. "We left too much to chance, we need to lure them in before any more brides are taken." His blue eyes shifted to Brooke, watching the silver ranger as she had a crisis, her eyes flashing multiple times and then deciding on pure gold.

"I can't even imagine what those poor girls are going through," Mia mumbled sympathetically. "I mean, weddings are supposed to be the happiest days of people's lives."

 _Well, mine wasn't_ , Brooke thought bitterly, burying her head into clawed hands. The sheer amount of embarrassment mixed with shame that filled her body made her want to claw her own eyes out.

"Do you think they would've taken those brides to the Sanzu River?" Emily wondered, and Ji cut her off quickly.

"No. The living can survive there for long, the moogers must've taken them somewhere else," Ji held up a clipboard, which Brooke concluded was a list of weddings, most of them being marked through, except one. "This is a list of all the weddings in the area this week. Jayden had warned everybody, so we have one left."

"So we know exactly where the nighlok hits," Jayden added, a small glimmer of pride in his eyes, which Brooke found endearing.

Mike's gaze landed on Brooke. "Then our favorite werewolf's gotta be a bride again." The green ranger teased, the silver ranger burying her face in her hands again.

"Was that a Jane Austen quote? _Pride and Prejudice?"_ Kevin asked Brooke, who nodded weakly.

"I- I blanked. I'm sorry, and I didn't know what to say, and my brain said fucking _AP Lit._ And I know Latin, so I could've just made up something on the spot and I- god, I'm sorry Red." Brooke rambled, and Jayden smiled slightly at her flustered expression.

"It's alright, you did what you had to do," Jayden reassured Brooke, flashing her a small smile. She returned it with her own weak one, her cheeks the color of the shirt he wore. "I promise."

* * *

This night was worse than the usual ones. Brooke heard James' voice, screaming at her, over and over again, driving the same points home. His crazed expression and booming voice caused her to wake up in a cold sweat, her chest heaving as tears pricked her eyes. Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, Brooke stood, grabbing her phone, and on shaky legs, she went to go find solace in the night sky. It was what she did ever since James had starting hurtling insults and objects at her, cursing her name with every breath. When the nightmares woke her up, she used to go to the highest point available, counting the stars until she calmed down enough to go back to bed.

Brooke had stopped climbing things in the dark when she slipped one night and fell, hitting the ground and broke her ankle. And she couldn't go to the hospital- because she wasn't _human,_ so Mary had to set the bone in place, and the two prayed it would work out. It did, somewhat, but was weak, popping out of place with repeated abuse. So, Brooke just sat on one of the concrete benches that the outdoor dojo offered and turned on her phone.

It was chilly, but Brooke didn't really mind, she just felt _numb._ So, she aimlessly scrolled through social media, trying to find some sort of distraction from the words James screamed at her replaying in her mind. It didn't work, and eventually, she squeezed her eyes shut and burying her head in her knees, setting her phone next to her. Then, she allowed herself to cry, quiet sobs wracking her body as she shook from the cold and the fear. Brooke usually didn't allow herself to be scared, but tonight, it was bad.

Brooke didn't know how long she cried for, and the thoughts wouldn't stop. Every time she had calmed down, and the thoughts subsided somewhat, they increased tenfold, and it caused Brooke to break down. She was halfway trying out a breathing exercise that she couldn't really do, when a warm hand on her back caused her to jump slightly, swollen eyes snapping to Jayden.

The red ranger had a look of concern on his face, illuminated by the yellow light that came from the outdoor wall light that was next to the doors leading into the Shiba House. Brooke said nothing, only uncurling herself from her ball and holding out her arms in a silent plea for Jayden to hold her. He nodded, sitting next to Brooke, and the silver ranger instantly latched onto his side, clutching onto his red hoodie in a tight fist, her claws digging into the fabric slightly as she cried, sobs wracking her body.

Jayden rubbed her back in small circles, trying to remember what Brooke did for him when they were little, when the roles were reversed. He had seen the girl look so _broken,_ and it scared him somewhat. "It's alright, I've got you," Jayden reassured Brooke, his voice barely above a whisper. "You're safe. I'm not leaving you."

After a couple of minutes, Brooke sniffled, her entire body shaking as the tears stopped somewhat. "I- I'm sorry." She choked out, and Jayden pulled her closer and into his lap, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his chin on the top of her head. He recalled Brooke doing it to him before, when Brooke used to be taller than him.

"You used to do the same for me. It's alright." Jayden murmured, and Brooke let go of Jayden's hoodie and wrapped her arms around his torso, holding no intent to let go. He was warm, a comforting warm that Brooke didn't want to leave anytime soon.

The pair stayed like that, in silence, for a couple of minutes, until Brooke spoke, letting out a shaky sigh. "He fucked me up, Red. I can't- I hear his words over and over again, telling me how I killed mom, and I damned the whole family. He hated me, with every fiber of his being, and, I-I can't shake him, no matter what I do," Brooke's voice cracked, and Jayden tightened his hold on her. "I went to therapy, fuck, I even tried drinking to feel something other than fucking _fear._ It didn't work, and I'm just a pathetic mess-" Her self deprecation was cut off by Jayden shifting his position to look her in the eyes.

Blue met tear-filled gold, and Jayden shot her a gentle smile. "Brooke," Jayden's voice was firm but gentle. "You're not pathetic. You're anything but that, and I will remind you that. There are countless times where I've seen your strength firsthand, both in and out of battle. As for your past," Jayden sucked in a breath, trying to find the right words. "I- We can't change it. And what I'm about to say is cliche, very much so, but," Jayden saw the ghost of a smile on Brooke's lips, and it caused a strange sense of relief to wash over him. He was saying the right thing, for once. "I'm not the best with words, as you can probably tell, but. You're safe now, Brooke. I promise that. And I know you can hold your own, but I've got your back as well. Okay?" He vowed, and Brooke let out a small laugh.

"You're doing pretty well for someone who had to deal with another person blurting out their trauma in the dead of night," Brooke joked, and Jayden rolled his eyes, a faint smile ghosting his lips. "But seriously, Red, I- I can't thank you enough." She breathed out.

"Of course, Brooke. It's-" Jayden cut himself off when he felt Brooke shiver. He untangled his arms from around her waist, and Brooke shot him a quizzical look, watching him with furrowed brows as he pulled off his red hoodie, leaving him in _another_ red shirt and a pair of black sweatpants. "Here, you're shivering, and not wearing the warmest clothes." He motioned to her thin long-sleeved shirt and her grey running shorts, holding out his hoodie.

Brooke pretended to be annoyed, rolling her eyes playfully and taking the hoodie, her eyes returning to their usual grey. "Only for you." She teased, and Jayden was dumbstruck, his breath hitching in his throat. Brooke didn't seem to notice, pulling the red fabric over her head. A sense of comfort washed over her, and thanks to her wolf senses, the smell of Jayden's cologne was the only thing she smelt. Not that she minded- Jayden smelt nice, kind of like a forest with a hint of smoke. "Won't you be cold, though?" She mused.

Jayden shrugged with a small smile. "I don't get cold easily. I'm the ranger of fire, Brooke." He reminded her, and a part of him was happy. She viewed him as _Jayden._ Seeing her wear his hoodie also made him happy. He found the way it almost completely smothered her endearing, in a sense.

A look of realization came across Brooke's face, then one of curiosity. "So, that means you do have some sort of elemental powers, interesting," She murmured, and her eyes flashed for a moment. "Anyways, I can't say it enough. Thank you, Red. I mean it, with full sincerity. And I don't do that often." Brooke teased, snickering as Jayden pushed her extremely faintly.

"You're really something." Jayden murmured fondly, and Brooke snorted, wrapping her arms around his torso again. He felt her fingers spread out across his back, and he broke out into goosebumps.

Brooke noticed this and frowned. "You're cold," She muttered, her eyes flashing, and Jayden didn't work up the courage to tell her that it was from his touch. "I think we should go to bed," She declared, picking up her phone and turning it on, wincing as she read the time. "Yeah, we _really_ should."

Jayden didn't want to leave, having Brooke in his arms was a nice feeling, but he couldn't be selfish. It was for the world. He subconsciously raised his arm to glance at his watch and let out a sigh when Brooke snorted at the picture of him just staring at his watchless wrist. He usually took it off when he slept, but he's done the action so many times it's become a habit.

"It's almost one- which means a splendid five hours of sleep for me," Brooke muttered, and Jayden heard her, frowning.

"Sleep," Jayden urged, and Brooke pursed her lips. "I can get Mia or Emily to wake you up tomorrow, you need it. Make sure to drink water as well." He reminded Brooke, who smiled faintly. He cared, and that caused happiness to swell in her chest.

Still, Brooke hid that happiness with her usual grin. "Alright, alright. I don't want another ten-minute lecture," She joked, deflecting Jayden's look of disapproval with a cheeky smile. "But, in all seriousness, thank you. For everything." Brooke didn't necessarily want to leave, but the show must go on.

"Of course," Jayden murmured, helping Brooke stand and standing himself. His legs were slightly sore from having Brooke in his lap for so long, but he didn't really care. The pair walked back into the Shiba House, Jayden holding the heavy wooden door open for Brooke, who smiled and ducked under his arm. They reached Brooke's door because her's was the closest to the end of the hall, and Jayden stopped her before she could say goodnight. "If you need to talk, don't hesitate to wake me up, alright? You don't know how many times I used to wake you up, so I feel like I need to return the favor somehow."

Brooke laughed quietly, grinning. "Of course. Come to me when you need it, also," _I'd gladly fuck up my sleep schedule for you._ "One more thing, please don't feel like you need to owe me anything, Red. We're friends, alright? I don't like it when people feel like they owe me stuff." She confessed, and Jayden smiled.

"We're friends," Jayden agreed, letting Brooke wrap him into a hug. "You can keep the hoodie by the way. I have more." He added, and Brooke let out a slight cheer, stepping back.

"That's a win in my book," Brooke remarked with a grin, lightly nudging Jayden's shoulder, which caused the red ranger to roll his eyes. "Goodnight, Jayden. Thank you." Her voice was soft, and she pushed open her door, walking into her dark bedroom.

"Goodnight, Brooke. Sleep well." Jayden responded, and when he walked away, Brooke shut her door and flung herself and her phone onto her bed, pulling her white comforter close to her body.

As the blankets warmed her cold skin, Brooke let out a yawn as a happy smile grew on her face. James hadn't left, but Jayden was by her side to combat her negative thoughts, and that was more than enough.

* * *

The second wedding was relatively small, but it still had normal people- and the six teenagers had to deal with them, looking awfully out of place when they crashed the wedding. Brooke's heels clicked on the floor as she walked around the small venue, sniffing the air, which she immediately regretted because the smells of a least five different perfumes attacking her senses at once was not a nice feeling. Still, she made it to the room where the bride was putting in her earrings, her eyes widening in shock as she whipped around to face the silver ranger.

Brooke instantly put her finger to her lips, eyes flashing gold momentarily. "Listen, I know this is strange, but you have to trust us. We're keeping you and your fiance safe." She murmured, and on cue, Kevin and Mike wrestled with the groom, forcing him into the room where Brooke and the bride were.

"Hide with the bride, dude." Mike urged, and Brooke forced the bride into a closet, Mike doing the same with the groom.

Once the couple was in the closet, they looked at the five teenagers, faces pale and eyes wide. "W-what's going on?" The bride stammered, and Brooke let out a heavy sigh.

"A lot, but you have to trust us, it won't be for long," Brooke replied quickly, shutting the door to the closet in the bride's face before she could ask another question. Turning her attention to the other rangers, knitting her brows in confusion, eyes flashing. "Where's Red?" Jayden wasn't with the others, and it somewhat worried Brooke.

"Down the hall, I think," Mia answered, and Brook really hoped Jayden hadn't just left. "You should probably find him- we'll try to blend in with the guests." The pink ranger suggested, and Brooke nodded, gathering the skirt of her wedding dress in her hand and leaving the room.

Finding the red ranger wasn't very hard, Brooke could make out his scent easily compared to the overwhelming amounts of perfume. It led her to the end of the hall, where Jayden was sitting in one of the chairs, seemingly lost in thought. So, Brooke moved quietly, but Jayden still raised his head at the sound of heels hitting the floor, spotting the silver ranger, who had her signature grin on her face.

"Don't be brooding now, it's our big day," Brooke teased, and Jayden rolled his eyes, a ghost of a smile on his lips. "But, in all seriousness, the others finished up their part. Everything's going quite well." She summarized.

"And the bride and the groom?" Jayden asked.

"In a closet," Brooke snickered at Jayden's raised eyebrows and somewhat confused expression. "That's us now, don't be a runaway groom on me here." Brooke nudged Jayden's shoulder as they walked down the hall, and the red ranger noticed that Brooke was a little louder today, her grin almost forced.

He didn't bring it to light. "Ready to be a damsel in distress?" Jayden retorted, watching as Brooke's expression hardened into one of confidence.

"Let's finish this."

* * *

The wedding theme rang out, and soon Jayden and Brooke walked slowly down the aisle. Brooke noticed the tension in Jayden's posture, his jaw set, and his hand clenched into a tight fist at his side. It was almost robotic, and Brooke found it amusing in some strange way. Despite the emotionless facade he wore, Brooke could notice the signs of stress or annoyance. Like now, she could tell that he was stressed out to no end, by the way his blue eyes never stayed in one place for very long.

"Friends, we are invited here today to share a very important moment in the lives of these two young people," The pastor started, and Brooke tensed when she smelt rotten milk and death. It was faint, but increasing by the second. Noticing Jayden's glance towards her, Brooke nodded and tightened her hold on his upper arm. "Their love and understanding of each other has grown and matured," Brooke started counting down the seconds until the moogers swarmed the place. _5… 4…_ "And now they have decided to live their lives together," _3... 2... 1..._ "As husband and wife." _Now._

"Let the show begin," Brooke muttered, and Jayden pushed her behind him as moogers started sprinting down the aisle. As moogers emerged from the back entrance and grabbed her by the arms, Brooke did what she was told to do- and that was to scream and put up a very poor attempt of a fight. Jayden was doing his best too, and Brooke cringed when he was flung through the air, landing on his back. Still, the show must go on. Brooke honestly didn't like feeling this weak but shoved it aside as the moogers disappeared into a crack in a brick, taking her with them.

Today, Brooke learned that the teleportation system of the moogers and nighlok made her want to throw up, and she resisted the urge to do so as she landed on her hands and knees. She heard the faint sound of her samuraizer falling out of the pocket of the shorts she was wearing under the wedding dress. Brooke wasn't complaining, it made it somewhat easier for her to grab the device.

A hand flipping her veil out of her face and grabbing her chin caused Brooke to tense, her eyes flashing and her claws digging into the wooden floorboards. "What's the best way to introduce you, silver ranger?" The female nighlok, Dayu, spat. She was actually quite beautiful, in a twisted way. "I heard about your little gift, but didn't think you were quite so pretty."

Brooke said nothing and quickly grabbed her samuraizer, but Dayu was faster. The female nighlok twisted Brooke's arm behind her back, which caused the silver ranger to let out a hiss of pain through clenched teeth.

Dayu ripped the samuraizer out of Brooke's clawed hand. "Well now, what little toy have you brought me?" When Brooke didn't respond, Dayu bent Brooke's arm farther back, which caused Brooke to let out a yell of pain. Any farther and it would be snapped like a twig, and Brooke didn't feel like dealing with a broken arm. "You think you're so coy, but we saw this coming. We have you, your decoy, and the actual bride."

As Dayu snickered, Brooke made eye contact with Mia and Emily, the pink and yellow rangers getting dragged off to a large ball of silk that most likely held the other brides. "Th- that's impossible. We hid them." Brooke forced out, and breathed a sigh of relief when the female nighlok released her arm, moogers holding her arms instead, but _far less_ painful.

Dayu flipped open Brooke's samuraizer, the device making its familiar sound. "Now, you're going to call your little brigade, just like you planned to. Tell them you found the brides, at Wearhouse 32 near the docks," Brooke didn't respond, and if glares could kill, Dayu would've been killed a while ago. "If you don't, I'll give those brides something to _really_ cry about." Dayu threatened, calling Brooke's most recent contact and holding the samuraizer to Brooke's ear.

Jayden picked up on the first ring. "Are you alright?" Jayden asked, but his voice didn't have it's usual caring tone. It was hard and almost robotic.

"Doin' fantastic Red," Brooke replied, hoping that Jayden would pick up on the sarcasm. "The brides have been found in Shoretown. Wearhouse _fuck_ -" Brooke let out a hiss of pain when one of the moogers twisted her arm again. "32. Just… make it snappy, okay?"

"We're on our way," Jayden vowed, and Dayu flipped Brooke's samuraizer shut.

"Very good!" Dayu cheered mockingly, and soon, Warehouse 32 went up in flames with a loud explosion. "Kaboom!" The female nighlok exclaimed cheerfully. "Ah, I haven't felt this good in a long time. Look at this gown- all of the dashed hopes and dreams it symbolizes," Strands from the ball of silk that held the brides were connected to the wedding dress, which was seemingly weaving itself together, all on its own. "This very dress will raise the Sanzu River and flood your pathetic world! This is the end for you!" Dayu grabbed Brooke by the arm and flung her.

Before she could hit the ground, Brooke shifted, letting out a menacing snarl as she landed on all four paws and faced Dayu, golden eyes bright. The brown wolf's ears were flattened to her head, her fur bristled and hackles raised. As if on cue, Jayden's lion zord came flying in, spitting fire at some of the moogers and grabbing Brooke's samuraizer from Dayu's hand.

While Dayu was distracted, wolf-Brooke made her move, lunging at a couple of moogers and slashing them down with her claws, making her way to Jayden's side, who walked into the room confidently, a faint smirk on his face. Hitting his legs with her fluffy tail once, Brooke shifted back, taking her samuraizer from the lion zord, who flew into its owner's outstretched hand.

"What in the world?!" Dayu exclaimed, pointing a finger at the three male rangers. "How did you escape the warehouse?!"

"I'm not the only samurai bride in this room right now," Brooke snickered, flipping her samuraizer in her hand. The ball of silk exploded, revealing Mia and Emily, who held their spin-swords at the ready. "But my arm does kinda hurt, so I'll give you that."

After Emily and Mia told Dayu about the plan, Jayden watched fondly as Brooke summoned her katanas, keeping one pointed at Dayu and spinning the other one between her fingers, the silver blades catching in the light. He realized he was in too deep, too captivated by the silver ranger- but he pushed those feelings aside when Brooke spoke to Dayu with a grin.

"Shall we say our final vows?" Brooke snickered, readying her blades as Dayu fired a blast. "It's really time to end this show!" As she cut through the blast, Jayden made quick work of teleporting the team out of the location.

* * *

The morphed rangers now sat in trees, and Brooke noticed each of the other rangers easily through the leaves. Their ranger suits weren't the best choice for acting stealthy, and the only one who somewhat blended in was Mike, but the green of his suit was still brighter than the leaves around him. Still, Dayu didn't seem to notice the brightly colored rangers, and soon the team had cornered the female nighlok.

Once the others hopped down, Brooke leaped as well, rolling over her shoulder and springing up quickly. "Samurai ranger, ready," The silver ranger called softly, twirling her katanas in her fingers and slowly walking up to Dayu. "Today marks a special occasion, one that you won't have time to object to." Brooke threatened, pointing one of her katanas at Dayu.

" _Rangers together, Samurai forever!"_

Dayu summoned moogers, and the battle commenced. Brooke had shifted, the brown wolf barking happily as she lunged about, cutting down moogers with her claws, sparks flying wherever wolf-Brooke made contact with the creatures. She bounced around, enjoying herself, but her ears perked up at the sound of a large blast. After defeating one last mooger with a swipe of her claws,wolf-Brooke whipped her head around to the source of the sound and sprinted off.

Brooke saw Kevin and Mia hit the ground and ran in before the two rangers could get killed, blocking Dayu's strike with her own katana. The _clang_ of metal colliding with metal reverberated around the female nighlok and the silver ranger. Brooke swung with her free sword, and while Dayu moved up to block that swing, Brooke swung with her other katana and nicked the female nighlok in the stomach, causing her to stumble backwards.

Brooke didn't reply to Dayu's witty remarks and only attacked again. Dayu fired a large blast, and Brooke slashed through it, sprinting forward. Her silver boots kicked up dirt, and she raised her swords-

"Brooke!" Emily screamed in warning, but it was already too late.

In a burst of purple flames, the nighlok that Brooke saw a couple of battles ago appeared. The silver ranger didn't have time to react, and the next thing she felt was _pain._ The nighlok had slashed her in the stomach, and it caused Brooke to stumble back. The nighlok's sword was just about to make contact with her again, but Brooke ducked just in time. She kicked the nighlok in the chest, putting all of her strength into the one action.

Brooke's yell of pain caused Jayden's heart rate to go into overdrive-wishing for once, that the Bettle Disk Cannon was _faster._ While he didn't like to admit it, Brooke was right. Their attacks were slow. "Five Disk Beetle Cannon: Final Strike!" Jayden didn't mean to yell out the attack that loudly, but, in his defense, he was now stressed out beyond belief- even more so then when this whole thing first started yesterday. When Jayden had fired, Brooke made her quick retreat, ignoring the pain that flared in her body as she regrouped with the team.

The large attack was headed towards Dayu and the mystery nighlok, and the rangers let out noises of surprise and/or confusion as the skeleton nighlok swiped _through_ the powerful blast. The blast caused two small explosions on either side of the nighlok and Dayu, and the nighlok lowered its blade. "Red and silver rangers," The nighlok started, and both Brooke and Jayden tensed. "You two shall be my sword's, Uramasa's, greatest challenge."

"Well, _fuck._ " Brooke cursed under her breath, tightening her grip on her katanas. Oh, how she loved ominous threats. Jayden stood beside her, holding his fire smasher in a tight grip, and he didn't even move or show any response, Brooke noticed this and lightly tapped his booted foot with her own, snapping him out of whatever thoughts he was spiraling down.

"Deker?" Dayu exclaimed in shock at the nighlok, Deker. "You came to save me?"

The nighlok glanced at Dayu over his shoulder. "Not quite," Deker answered, and Dayu made a noise of surprise. Turning his attention back to Brooke and Jayden, he spoke again. "Red and silver rangers, we shall duel soon. Until then." Deker grabbed Dayu by the arm and hopped to a nearby cliff.

"You're running away?!" Kevin spat, venom laced in his tone.

"Cowards!" Mia yelled at the two, but the two nighlok showed no response to the pink and blue rangers' words.

Deker summoned giant moogers, he and Dayu leaped out of sight. Brooke let out a heavy sigh mixed with a grown, pulling out her wolf zord. Her stomach throbbed from where Deker's sword made contact with it, and the arm that Dayu almost broke caused pain to flare. Still, Brooke just took out her zord from its pouch on the belt of her ranger suit, throwing the parallelogram in the air. "Let's wrap this up, bud! _Wolf Folding Zord: Megamode Power!"_

The samurai megazord, plus the wolf zord, made quick work of the giant moogers, and with that, the battle was finally over.

* * *

Now in their street clothes, the six walked towards a bakery, and Brooke tried to act normal, she really did. It was hard, and the silver ranger couldn't put on a mask of the normal teasing Brooke, her body was much too sore for that, and her thoughts were racing.

Tuning out Mike's subtle attempts of flirting with Emily, Brooke shut out the outside world and tried to sort her thoughts out. Deker- the nighlok, wanted to fight her and Jayden, and that caused fear to claw at her heart. The red and white nighlok scared her, but at least it was her _and_ Jayden. But still, why them? Brooke would understand Jayden having a bounty on his head, he was the red ranger. As for her, she didn't really know, and that frustrated her. Well, the whole thing frustrated her, but still. Deker was at the top of the list.

"Fuck this," Brooke muttered, kicking a pebble at full force, sending the small rock hurtling down the street, her claws and canines were growing in subconsciously, eyes turning a gold color. She thought she was done with personal attacks against her when she left James to go wallow in his hatred or whatever the fuck he was doing now. Apparently not. _Thanks, Deker._

"Brooke!" Emily's cheerful voice broke the silver ranger out of her thoughts. "Come and join us!" She called, and Brooke willed her wolf-like features away before facing the yellow ranger directly.

"I'm coming!" Brooke chirped back, jogging over to the rest of the team and forcing a grin. "Sorry to keep ya waiting." Her voice sounded fake- too cheery, too loud for her liking, and Brooke winced.

Jayden noticed this and grabbed her wrist gently, raising his eyebrows. It was Jayden's way of silently saying: " _you're bluffing",_ and Brooke rolled her eyes. That caused Jayden to furrow his brows, and Brooke let out a heavy sigh.

"Just thinking, Red. I'm all good," And before Jayden could respond, Brooke laced her fingers with his and pulled him in the direction of the bakery. "Let's just get some cupcakes or whatever the fuck they sell here. It's gonna work out." It always does.


	8. threat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jane Wolfe hates her job, and her daughter is picking up the pieces. Kevin gets put under mind control, and a figure from Brooke's past makes his appearance.

Jane Wolfe had always hated being the silver samurai ranger. She had always craved a sense of normality, a sense of peace, instead of fighting a war she knew she was going to die in. It was an act of fate, snuffing out the lives of the only ones who could fight for peace. It was a depressing slap in the face, a sword to the gut if you weren't careful. It was always about being careful- staying on your toes, even in sleep. If you weren't careful, you became a memorial, a story told about a hero who bravely fought with tooth and nail until the bitter end, an end that was too soon. Or so they say. They knew exactly what they were doing, sending soldiers to their deaths and then thrusting the responsibilities of the fallen on the soldiers' children, who had also become soldiers in a never-ending war. It was a cycle that repeated itself for seventeen generations now- and Jane Wolfe knew there was going to be the eighteenth generation.

Jane bounced her daughter in her arms, cooing at the girl with a small smile on her face. The girl, now four, had her father's hair and eyes, black, and grey respectively, and the same pale skin tone. Jane's small smile fell when she noticed the purple bruises near her daughter's veins. They were bruises caused by various needles, a bitter reminder of what being a ranger did to you.

Brooke Wolfe wasn't a shifter like her mother. While her bone structure showed the ability to be, the four-year-old wasn't. Being the silver ranger was always accompanied by the ability to shift- so the Shiba Clan had taken it into their hands, to forcibly make Brooke the silver ranger. That meant various injections of blood of past silver rangers, taken from bodies of fallen soldiers. It was blood experimentation on a four-year-old who didn't know what they were doing to her, they had always used a symbol power to knock her out. So they could do their experimentation in peace. An experiment that Jane found utterly disgusting, too villainous for the so-called "defenders of peace".

Jane had begged, on hands and knees, to leave her daughter out of the collateral damage. Just to let Brooke live a normal life, that there were already five samurai rangers, they didn't need a sixth. They all had just shot her the same sympathetic look, muttering apologies under their breaths, apologies that meant nothing as they whisked Jane's daughter out of her arms. Jane had fought, with tooth and nail, to get her back. She had screamed and cursed the red ranger's name with every word, damning him to hell and back. Jane knew that the "great red ranger" had a son, a blue-eyed boy named Jayden that Brooke sometimes babbled about. So, why didn't he _care?_ He knew what it was like to have a child, so why was he doing this to _hers?_

When Brooke came home one day, and Jane saw the canines that were too pointed for a four-year-old to have, Jane realized she couldn't stay. Not with the team, not with her husband, not with her daughter. She was too _disgusted, too heartbroken._ So Jane Wolfe stormed into the Shiba House and took everything that pertained to her bullshit title of "the silver ranger". She had also given the red ranger a satisfying punch to the nose, and a feeling of joy filled in her chest when she heard the faint _crack_ of the bone breaking. As the man clutched his nose- with a stupid wide-eyed look on his face, Jane broke into a sinister grin, eyes a pure gold and her lips curled around her canines in a sneer. With venom dripping from her words, she spoke.

" _Good luck trying to win a losing war."_

Then, she left. Jane left the power disks, Wolf Kunai, and archives with her husband, and her samuraizer, zord, and katanas with her sister, leaving Panorama and falling in love with a new man. They had a son, a light brown-haired, green-eyed boy named Maxxwell, and Jane put all her time and devotion into her soon. Protecting him from the world she couldn't protect her daughter from. Of course, she had put precautions in place for Brooke. A way for her daughter to forget about her fate entirely, and those precautions laid with Jane's sister, Mary Wolfe.

Once Brooke turned twelve, she was going to get her memories wiped. It was so she could forget everything about the silver rangers and be placed under James' care, having a normal family and a normal life- a sense of normalcy that Jane couldn't have. Of course, her father, Nate Wolfe, was kept in the dark about everything, the experimentation, the plan of having his daughter's memories wiped, _everything._

Jane had weaved an elaborate web of lies, saying Brooke just needed check-ups because of her gift. Nate was under the assumption that Brooke was truly a shifter, and that the shifting didn't develop until she was thirteen. Which was a lie in itself, but Nate didn't know the difference. And Jane was going to be long gone before he found out.

It was early morning when Jane bounded up the steep incline, the brown wolf stopping at the top. She had shifted back, golden eyes landing on the nighlok. This particular nighlok was referred to as the Nighlok King- but it wasn't Xandred. Jane wouldn't sink _that_ low.

"Ah, silver ranger," The Nighlok King greeted, spreading out his arms. "What brings you here, without your teammates?" He questioned, eyes glowing in the early dawn.

"I need you to kill me," Jane demanded, her voice emotionless, gold eyes were unwavering from the Nighlok King. She was going to die- and that would put the last piece of her plan into action.

The Nighlok King seemed taken aback for a moment but quickly regained his composure. "With pleasure. What is your reasoning for giving up so easily?" The nighlok asked, and as he walked closer to Jane, the woman broke into a small, sad smile.

"It's better to die on your feet than to live on your knees," Jane muttered, and as the Nighlok King's staff made connection with her neck, the seventeenth generation's silver ranger breathed out her final words. " _I'm sorry, Brooke."_

* * *

Brooke and Jayden circled each other, breathing heavy and blades raised. While the two rangers were fully morphed, it was all training. Brooke treated it like a game, honestly. She had just dodged most of his attacks, never really attacking in retaliation. Brooke could tell that she was getting under his skin- and while it was a battle tactic, making Jayden angry was fun, to a degree. She had never made the first move, letting the red ranger strike first.

Such as now, Jayden ran towards Brooke, spin-sword raised, and Brooke kicked out, her booted foot landing on his chest, sending him stumbling back before he had time to process. "You raised your sword too high," Brooke chided, spinning her katanas in her hands as Jayden shot her what was most likely a glare underneath his red helmet. "Hey, just trying to help." She snickered, running forward and clashing her swords with Jayden.

The other rangers, plus Ji, stood to the side, watching the pair spar. "Brooke's awfully cocky, isn't she?" Emily mused with a small smile as the silver ranger called out more taunts to the red.

"I think she's trying to get under Jayden's skin on purpose," Mia replied, watching as Brooke blocked Jayden's swing with one katana and jabbing with the other, Jayden jumping back just in time.

Mike grinned. "It does seem like a very Brooke thing to do. When she's gonna shift?" The green ranger asked as the sound of metal hitting metal filled the outdoor dojo.

Nobody answered, only watching as Jayden swung, and Brooke did a backwards handspring to dodge his attack, her foot nearly clipping Jayden's chin on purpose. But, she didn't, only landing on her feet with a flourish, running forward again.

Ji remembered watching Jane spar with others, but her and Brooke's fighting styles were incredibly different. Jane had always swung with full force and powerful stances, unwavering from her opponent's line of fire. Brooke, it seemed like she never stayed in one place for too long, always staying on her toes. "Their fighting styles are incredibly different. It gives them both new challenges to face." Ji mused, leaning on his staff slightly.

Jayden swung at Brooke, but the silver ranger had shifted, easily dodging his sword and moving to where his back was turned to her. He tried to swing around quickly, but that made his footing unstable, and Brooke noticed. She shifted, and Brooke swept his legs out from underneath him. Jayden landed hard on his back, his spin-sword falling out of his hand.

Jayden made a move to reach for it, and Brooke noticed, kicking the blade away from his grasp. Brooke planted a foot on his chest, one of her katanas pointed at Jayden's throat, lifting his chin slightly with the blade. Jayden would've found it attractive- if he wasn't on the receiving end.

"I win," Brooke teased as her suit and blades disappeared in a flurry of silver particles, leaving her in the usual training uniform that the rangers wore- with light grey lining. Jayden demorphed as well, and Brooke removed her foot from his chest and helped him to his feet. "In all seriousness, it was pretty close. It was fun."

Jayden rolled his eyes with a faint smile. "You seemed like you were enjoying it," He agreed, and Brooke grinned at him as the pair walked up to the others. "You just need to work on your defense some, but you usually make up for it with your speed."

"Good job, you two," Ji congratulated with a small smile. "I can tell you both have improved."

"I'd hate to see what would happen if you two had to battle each other. Or anyone of us." Mike remarked, and Brooke's eyes flashed as she pursed her lips.

"I don't think it'll happen, but let's not tempt fate, yeah?" Brooke shook her head with a grin, but her grin fell when the gap sensor sounded. "Speaking of." She muttered, her and Jayden sprinting inside.

* * *

The area where the nighlok chose to attack was a hiking trail, and all of the hikers had escaped. Brooke wasn't mad about the circumstances they were fighting in- the only thing that was worrying is that the area was dry. So if Jayden decided to play with fire a little too much, the six would be responsible for starting a forest fire. The nighlok didn't seem to hear or see the rangers morphing.

"Hold it right there, nighlok!" Jayden yelled, getting the creature's attention as the team stood in their usual line, Brooke in-between Mike and Jayden, per usual. "We're going to whip you into shape!"

Mike snorted at Jayden's threat. "Kinky." He muttered, only so Brooke could hear, and Brooke laughed under her breath, turning her attention to the nighlok.

It was one of the freakier looking ones, as it had a white head that was the shape of an egg, but it's blue face seemed too small for it's egg-head, and the expression the nighlok was wearing kind of freaked Brooke out. "Are you sure you want to tangle with me?" The nighlok threatened, playing with its whip some. "I'm Madimot! The baddest from the bad from the Sanzu!"

"Let's see if you can back up all that talk!" Mike retorted cockily, resting his sword on his shoulder.

"Ooh, having backup is a good idea," Madimot chuckled, slamming its whip on the ground. "Here kitty-kitty!"

The ground shook, and two drills, which had yellow ends, burst out of the ground, followed by the rest of the robot. Large clumps of dirt fell off of the tiger zord, and while the other let out murmurs of confusion, Brooke stared at the zord. It seemed familiar, somehow, but the silver ranger pushed those thoughts aside when the nighlok started talking again.

"Surprised? When the Earth cracked open and you sealed Master Xandred away, your tiger zord fell in too!" Madimot explained, something akin to pride in the nighlok's voice. "I saved it and made it my pet kitty- or should I say pet Tiggy!" The tiger zord let out a loud growl at the name, red eyes glowing.

"Hey Brooke, can you handle that thing? Like the whole dog versus cat rivalry, except this time it's wolf versus tiger?" Mike asked, and Brooke furrowed her brows. _Could she?_ She honestly wanted to take on the thing with her wolf zord and would see what would happen.

Kevin looked at the zord, then at Jayden. "We need to get it back!" The blue ranger blurted.

The nighlok laughed at Kevin's words. "Back?" Madimot echoed, and Brooke noticed that the nighlok seemed to be planning something, as its face was starting to glow a brilliant purple. "My spell on him is too powerful! He's mine!"

Brooke's senses perked at the shift in energy. "Something's coming- DOWN!" She yelled out the warning, Jayden pretty much tackling her to the ground.

The other rangers seemed to get the message, throwing themselves onto the dry grass. Well, everyone except Mike. "Mike, get down!" Kevin yelled, the blue ranger shoving the green out of the way and taking the blast himself.

And that's when shit hit the fan. Kevin let out a yell of pain, falling to his knees and clutching his head. Mike instantly rushed over to make sure the blue ranger was alright, but Kevin grabbed him by the arms and tossed him aside, letting out a growl. Kevin slowly stood on his feet with a series of growls, looking almost like a zombie

"Kevin?" Emily asked, hesitantly, staring at the blue ranger.

Brooke and Jayden shared looks underneath their helmets. "You handle Kevin and I handle the big baddie?" Brooke whispered, and Jayden nodded.

"Stay safe," Jayden advised, giving Brooke's shoulder a comforting squeeze, the silver and red rangers standing slowly and readying their blades.

"I tamed a new pet! I call him Blue!" Madimot explained cheerfully, and Brooke narrowed her eyes, letting out a growl. Calling people colors was her thing- well, she only did it with Jayden, but still. "Now, sick 'em!" The nighlok slammed its whip on the ground, and with that, the show began.

* * *

The gravel of the path leading to the Shiba House crunched underneath black loafers as a man walked towards the front doors, a large wooden box in hand. The box was made out of dark wood, and the Wolfe family crest, a crescent moon with two stars adjacent to it, shown in silver on the lid. The man reached the front door, readjusting his hold on the wooden box so he could knock on the wooden door.

 _Rap, rap, rap._ Shortly after, Ji opened the door, thinking it was the rangers done with the battle. "Nate?" Ji asked in disbelief, his eyes widening slightly.

Nate Wolfe had obviously seen better days, as his black hair was graying rather quickly for someone in his early forties, and his grey eyes were framed with dark circles and deep bags. Still, Nate chuckled weakly. "Still kickin'." He joked, readjusting the box in his hands.

Ji looked down at the box and then back up at Nate, eyes widening slightly. "Is that…" He trailed, and Nate nodded, answering his silent question.

"It's Jane's. Wolf Kunai, wolf disk, and archives. She apparently hid it underneath some stuff in the basement, and I found it," Nate explained, letting out a heavy sigh. "It's for Brooke now, she deserves to have them. And I'm assuming she's a full ranger now?" When Ji nodded, Nate broke out into a grin, grey eyes shining with pride. "That's my girl."

Ji took the box from Nate's hands. "She still doesn't know the truth yet," Ji stated, looking down at the box with a conflicted expression. "I want to tell her, but the way Jane went- and what happened, I think it would do more harm than good."

Nate ran a hand over his face, trying to shake the mental image from his mind. Apparently Jane had bled to death, and her body was laying on the ground for hours until a nighlok triggered a gap sensor in that general area. When Brooke got told, she just turned pale and said nothing, shaking her head in disbelief. It was when she was still living with Nate, and she was only six at the time. Instead of crying, Brooke just went silent for hours on end, seemingly in shock. But it's not like she remembered any of that now.

Nate grimaced. "Yeah, I know. It's selfish of me, but, it's been five years, y'know?" Letting out another sigh, Nate forced a smile. "Just tell her you found it or something- Brooke's got enough on her plate as it is." He tried to act nonchalant, but he missed his daughter, who couldn't even remember him.

As Nate turned to leave, Ji speaking caused the man to turn around. "She's close with Jayden now. It's ironic, in a sense." Ji remarked, and Nate let out a bark of laughter.

"Jane Wolfe is rolling in her grave," Nate laughed, starting to walk down the gravel path. "Make sure she doesn't end like her mother- please." He called over his shoulder, then raising his hand as a farewell.

Ji only nodded, glancing down at the large wooden box in his hands. He was sure of it- Brooke Wolfe was going to have a happier ending than her mother.

* * *

The battle wasn't going the greatest, as Brooke liked to put it. Kevin was now set on killing the rest of the team or seriously injuring them, there was little difference. As Kevin cut down Mia, sparks flying where the pink ranger got hit, Jayden nodded to Brooke.

"Go," Jayden commanded, and Brooke shifted, leaping over Kevin and using his back as a footstool.

"Ooh, we've got a puppy!" Madimot exclaimed with glee, and Brooke shifted back, not breaking her pace as she grabbed her samuraizer and flipped the device open. "One puppy puppet, coming right up!"

As the nighlok fired a blast, Brooke drew a symbol in the air, activating it quickly. " _Symbol Power: Resist!"_ She yelled, and the silver symbol hung in the air.

The silver kanji absorbed the blast, and Brooke wasted no time drawing her blades and tussling with the nighlok. Madimot raised its shield, which had a large eye on it, and Brooke's blades bounced off of it. Still, the silver ranger regained her composure quickly, and with a growl, she found herself putting full force behind each swing. Where her katanas made contact with the nighlok, sparks flew, and soon the nighlok was on the ground, smoke rising from its body.

"Hey, no one beats me!" Madimot exclaimed, and Brooke rolled her eyes. _Well, someone obviously is._ "Chew 'em up, tiger zord!"

Brooke rolled out of the way of the tiger zord's attack, and she snapped her head up when she heard Emily's scream of pain. Even Jayden was struggling, and Brooke found herself moving without thinking when the red ranger hit the ground. It was times like these when Brooke's brain shut off, and she just went with her instincts.

Kevin spun the blue disk on his spin-sword, but before he could attack, Brooke tackled him to the ground, wrestling the spin sword out of his hands. The blade recognized that it was not being used by its owner, and the attack died out, Brooke tossing the spin-sword aside and shifting, snarling at Kevin. The brown wolf stood in front of the others protectively, fur bristled and tail sticking straight out behind her. Her ears stood straight up, lips curled and snout wrinkled to reveal her canines. He wasn't Kevin anymore, he was a threat.

"Brooke, that's Kevin!" Mike yelled, but wolf-Brooke ignored him, taking slow steps forward towards Kevin. _He was a threat. Just like James._

A loud growl came from wolf-Brooke as Kevin picked up his spin-sword, and she tensed, claws digging into the topsoil as she got ready to lunge. However, instead of attacking, Kevin turned to Madimot.

The nighlok's body was greying, cracks appearing, meaning it was drying out. "Blue! Go wait with Tiggy!" Madimot commanded, and Kevin nodded, sheathing his blade.

* * *

Brooke walked back into the Shiba House, her mouth set into a thin line. "This isn't good," Ji started, and Brooke resisted the urge to laugh. _No shit._ "It's going to be very hard to break that spell on the tiger zord and Kevin." He stated the obvious, and Brooke took a seat on one of the cushions in the meeting room, pinching the bridge of her nose with a sigh.

Jayden sat next to Brooke, looking at Ji. "We need a plan." Jayden declared, and Brooke propped her chin on her fist, eyes flashing.

Ji glanced at the three other team members and then back to Brooke and Jayden, stress etched on his face. "Jayden, you must be prepared to make tough choices if need be." The older man stated.

"I know, Ji," Jayden spoke firmly, blue eyes flickering to the rest of the team for a moment. "But let's figure out a way to break the nighlok's hold on Kevin before it gets to that." He was blatantly lying at this point, and Jayden shared a look with Brooke.

They both knew that _someone_ had to fight Kevin, they couldn't opt-out of it. Who knows what the nighlok would make Kevin do while he's under mind control. Brooke just wished the others would recognize that it wasn't Kevin anymore- it was a threat. James was the same way. She had loved the man, but once he threatened her and Maxx's safety, Brooke knew that she couldn't view the man in rose-tinted glasses, and quickly forced herself to view him as a threat-forcing herself to throw out any positive feelings she had felt. Of course, she wasn't planning to do that _truly_ to Kevin, just for the moment. It made things easier.

Once the others walked out of the room, presumably going to the med bay to patch themselves up, grey-gold eyes flickered to Jayden. "What had happened? You seemed… frustrated while fighting Kevin." Brooke asked Jayden, but she wasn't angry. More curious and concerned.

Jayden let out another sigh. "He seemed to predict our moves. It was unnerving." He confessed, and Brooke's eyes flashed, her furrowing her brows slightly. These were things Jayden only told Brooke- as he didn't feel like a leader talking to her. He was just Jayden, and she was just Brooke. It was freeing, him being able to express his frustrations or concerns about a battle, and not feeling like he had failed as a leader. Jayden was glad he could do it with someone.

"Could it be because he fights with the same fighting style?" Brooke wondered, pursing her lips slightly. "I know you all adjust the fighting style in your personal ways- but it has the same core moves. And because he knows the moves so well…" She trailed, and Jayden nodded slightly.

"Kevin knows what moves to do when," Jayden finished, then frowned. "You'll have to fight him because your fighting style is so different. I'm sorry-" Jayden was cut off by Brooke, who wore a small smile.

Brooke nudged his shoulder with his own. "Don't apologize, Red. We're just playing with the cards we're dealt, y'know? Don't beat yourself up- I can handle one blue ranger under mind control." She reassured Jayden, and Jayden's worried expression broke, the corners of his mouth twitching upwards faintly.

Ji walked back into the room, carrying the large wooden box from Nate in his hands. "I'm glad you two came to a conclusion," The older man set the large box on the table, Brooke and Jayden immediately starting to inspect it. "Brooke, you'll use this to help break the mind control on both Kevin and the tiger zord." Ji held a white disk, which had the kanji for _resist_ on it in black.

Brooke frowned at the disk in Ji's hand. "Me and what spin-sword? I can't take Red's, plus, there's no way in hell I can be trained on how to use one in such little time," Brooke glanced at the wooden box on the table, her eyes flashing. "And what's this? It has my family's crest on it." Her fingertips traced the engraving of the crescent moon, and before Ji could explain, the wolf zord flew out of the pocket of Brooke's flannel.

The zord barked at its owner, flying over to the box and pawing at the lid, letting out a whine. Brooke looked at Ji with raised eyebrows, and when the older man nodded, Brooke started to push off the lid. The wolf zord instantly flew into the box when it had enough room to do so, emerging with a silver disk in its mouth when Brooke pushed off the lid fully. The zord dropped the disk in Brooke's lap, letting out a bark and flying back into the box.

Brooke gingerly picked up the disk, Jayden peering at it. The disk was silver and had a silhouette of a wolf running in black around the disk. "The wolf disk? Ji, I thought it was lost in battle." Jayden questioned, brows furrowed as he looked at his mentor.

Ji winced slightly. He knew he had to lie, but didn't necessarily have one he could use confidently. "They were, but it seems like someone found it, as someone left this box on the doorstep." He lied and hoped it was convincing enough- vague enough, so he didn't give anything away.

Brooke was too busy inspecting the disk to fully process what Ji had said, but soon she grinned at Jayden. "Now you can take even longer to set up the beetle cannon, Red." The silver ranger teased, laughing when Jayden shot her a disappointed look.

However, the playful atmosphere dropped when the wolf zord reappeared, holding a large silver weapon in its mouth. Brooke took the weapon from her zord, furrowing her brows. The weapon was a silver _kunai,_ but much larger than the traditional ones. It had a silver leaf-shaped blade and a handle with a ring on the pommel, a small keychain attached to the ring. The keychain had two small charms, which were the symbols 銀 and 狼, translating to silver and wolf.

"A… a knife," Brooke thought aloud, shooting a confused look at Ji as the wolf zord sat on the top of her head. "Feel like sharing with the class?" She asked Ji, holding up the kunai for emphasis.

Ji nodded. "That is the _Wolf Kunai,_ the special weapon of the silver rangers, and the way power disks are used." He explained, and Brooke looked down at the weapon.

The silver blade reflected the overhead lights as Brooke held the Wolf Kunai with one hand and the wolf disk in the other. Instinctively, she slid the silver disk onto the weapon and jumped slightly when the disk clicked into place near the hilt of kunai, the leaf-shaped blade glowing silver slightly. It quickly died out, and Brooke felt the corners of her mouth twitch as a new burst of power filled her body.

Before Brooke could say anything, her samuraizer started beeping. Taking the device out of the pocket of her flannel, she flipped it open quickly and brought up the smaller map of Panorama. "A construction site," Brooke declared, and she shifted her attention to Jayden, the Wolf Kunai disappearing in a flurry of silver particles. "Are you coming with me, or waiting 'til the gap sensor screams?" She stood, grabbing the _resist_ disk.

Jayden stood, nodding. "Just in case." He replied, catching Brooke's faint smile, and with a faint nod from Ji, the two rangers were off, sprinting towards the construction site.

* * *

"It's about time, red and silver rangers!" Madimot greeted as Brooke and Jayden walked towards the nighlok, Kevin standing next to the monster.

Brooke felt her features shift prematurely, her bones cracking as her claws and canines grew in, her eyes now pure gold. "What happens if we don't fight him? Just skip to the main act?" Brooke questioned, having a slight lisp due to her canines.

Madimot chuckled. "Not so fast, Puppy," Brooke let out a growl at the nickname, getting ready to lunge. "You better make this fight count, or I'll make Blue turn his sword on himself!" The nighlok threatened, and Brooke and Jayden shared a concerned look at each other.

The sounds of footsteps crunching across the ground snapped Jayden and Brooke's attention from the nighlok, but only for a moment. "Jayden! Brooke! We're here to help!" Mike called to the pair, and he, Mia, and Emily raised their samuraizers.

"It's alright, I've got this under control," _At least I think I do._ Gold eyes scanned the construction site, Brooke realizing that it wasn't the place for a fair fight. At least she could use the terrain to her advantage- which is something she knew that Kevin wasn't trained in. "It's showtime then!" Brooke yelled, flipping open her samuraizer and activating the brush portion.

"Brooke!" Emily yelled, but Brooke blocked it out. Kevin was a threat now, there was no talking him out of this.

"I wish I had some popcorn!" Madimot sneered, jumping out of the ranger's range, standing on a rusty metal structure and pointing a finger at Kevin. "Blue! Attack!" The nighlok commanded, and as Kevin slowly drew his blade, Brooke sprung into action.

" _Samuraizer: Go Go Samurai!"_ Brooke drew the symbol and activated it, and the silver ranger suit on her body. Already having a plan in mind, she took off running. She was right, Kevin wasn't as stable footed as she was. Brooke slid under a low hanging metal beam and hopped over another one, spinning on her heels to face Kevin. The blue ranger was trying to catch up but was struggling due to the various obstacles and hazards.

Brooke snickered at Kevin stumbling over an exposed pipe, and she put the wolf disk on the Wolf Kunai, drawing the weapon and pointing it at Kevin. "C'mon, I thought you were intent on killing me! I know you have to do better than that!" She mocked, and Kevin let out a growl, and then lunged.

"I can't believe this is happening," Mike muttered, watching as Brooke taunted Kevin, blocking his swings with ease. Sparks flew whenever the spin-sword and kunai made contact with each other. "What are you thinking, that's Kevin!" The green ranger yelled, but Brooke paid him no mind.

As the others, sans Jayden, screamed at both Brooke and Kevin to stop, the silver ranger just focused on keeping herself alive. Brooke noticed that his attacks were more aggressive, more _feral_ , which was a good and bad thing. Good, because it made his moves sloppy, and that made them easier to parry and/or doge. It was bad because that meant the swings _hurt_ , and Brooke grit her teeth as Kevin's spin-sword came in contact with her upper arm. Brooke pushed him away, which caused him to fall, and she leaped backwards, giving herself a moment to catch her breath.

Brooke felt her blood run cold as Kevin stood on his feet and spun the dragon disk on his spin-sword, and she did the same, spinning the wolf disk on her kunai. The blades of the blue and silver rangers' weapons lit up with their respective colors, both of the rangers slashing at the same time as they called out their attacks.

" _Spin-sword: Dragon Splash!"_

" _Wolf Kunai: Lone Wolf!"_

The silver attack intercepted the blue one before it could hit Brooke, and the two attacks hitting each other caused a small explosion, dirt and small pebbles flying in the air. However, Brooke and Kevin wasted no time, the blue ranger lunging at the silver, the sound of metal _clang_ ing with metal filling the construction site again.

Jayden kept his blue eyes trained on the pair, his mind telling him to morph into his suit and rush in. He wanted to but knew it wasn't the wisest decision. Brooke was doing what Jayden thought she would do, taunting Kevin and never really attacking herself. She was making Kevin make the first move, which gave her precious seconds to think of a way to dodge or parry. It was a sound plan, and Jayden felt the corners of his mouth twitch upward, ever so slightly.

However, Jayden's faint smile fell when he heard the sound of boots crunching across the ground, his body subconsciously tensing as a man with shoulder-length black hair and a beard strutted up to the four rangers. Jayden's attention snapped to the object wrapped in cloth in the man's hand. It made Jayden feel uneasy, but he didn't show that only shutting his thoughts off, his face settling into his emotionless expression.

"Who are you?" Mike spat, his grip tightening on his samuraizer as he eyed the mystery man warily.

"It doesn't matter who I am," The man replied, and Jayden furrowed his brows. "It matters who's winning, and it's not the man in blue."

"What? How can you tell?" Mia questioned the man, who's gaze was locked on Kevin and Brooke.

The silver and blue rangers were now on the rusty crane, Brooke hopping around and avoiding Kevin's attacks, returning with her own slashes. She had replaced the wolf disk with the resist disk and was waiting for an opening that she could strike. However, she sheathed the kunai in its holder on her belt and shifted, the brown wolf jumping off of the crane and onto a large mound of silt, sliding on her paws. Kevin followed with a yell, trying to hit wolf-Brooke, but she only dodged with ease, leaping down and landing on solid ground.

"The man in blue's fighting as if he's trying to win a training point, rather than a real duel," The black-haired man explained, watching as Brooke shifted back and kicked Kevin firmly in the chest, sending him stumbling backwards as the silver ranger drew her Wolf Kunai again. "It's a lot different when you're fighting for survival. I can tell that Silver's been fighting for survival for a long time." The man stated calmly, his eyes unwavering from the silver and blue rangers.

"Why'd you assume that?" Jayden's voice had a sharp edge to it, and his hands curled into fists at his sides, glaring at the man.

"Her attacks are steady, it's clear that she shows no hesitation," The man answered, seemingly unfazed by the venom in Jayden's tone. He just watched the silver ranger, taking in the way Brooke was unwavering from her position. "By the way she's not letting her emotions dictate her moves- it's clear she's had to do this before. Fight against someone she was close with. Silver's relying on instinct- she's watching her target like a hawk, or how a wolf would watch its prey." It was easy to tell that Kevin overpowered Brooke, it shown by her wavering whenever Kevin's spin-sword collided with her kunai.

Brooke had always made up for disadvantages by using tricks and taunts, catching her opponent off guard. It was the same now, as she slashed through a metal chain, and a part of the rusted crane fell, creating a barrier between Brooke and Kevin. The silver ranger broke into a run and did a somersault over the barrier and Kevin, slashing the blue ranger in the back quickly, leaping back when Kevin spun around and tried to swing at her, blades colliding once more.

Kevin showed signs of fatigue, his swings were getting sloppier, and Brooke took that to her advantage. "Silver is technically at a power disadvantage, but she makes up for it with her stamina," The black-haired man declared, watching as Brooke kicked Kevin back, the blue ranger stumbling backwards. "When Blue goes in for the point, Silver will see her opening and will strike. She's waiting for the killing blow, an attack that holds her full strength."

Kevin raised his sword over his head, and with a yell, he ran forward. Brooke spun the resist disk, the Wolf Kunai bursting into white flames. As Kevin swung down, Brooke knocked the spin-sword out of the blue ranger's hands and performed an uppercut, slashing at his chest and quickly moving to where Kevin's spin sword laid, settling into another fighting stance.

However, it wasn't needed, as silver sparks flew from Kevin's body, the silver kanji for resist appearing momentarily. Kevin yelled out, and soon he hit the ground hard, demorphing, the rest of the team sprinting over to Kevin. Well, Jayden made his way over to Brooke, offering a congratulatory small smile.

Brooke stumbled slightly, feeling the exhaustion hit her like a freight train. Still, she tried not to let it show, walking over to Jayden, trying to catch her breath. "Passing score?" Brooke asked, laughing weakly when Jayden rolled his eyes with a faint smile.

The man watched Brooke and Jayden, a satisfied smile on his lips. He was right, choosing those two. He had always wanted to know what it was like fighting against a half-human like himself, and now he got his chance. Spinning on his heel, he left the scene.

Brooke noticed the man's retreating figure and frowned, her eyes flashing underneath her helmet. "Didn't know we had an audience." She muttered, exhaustion laced in her tone.

Jayden furrowed his brows. "I had no clue as to what he wanted," He stated, turning his attention to Brooke. "I'll help you with the tiger zord, you're obviously exhausted."

Brooke nodded faintly. "That's fine by me. Didn't know how to tame a zord, anyways," Hearing the nighlok yell at her, Brooke spun on her heels taking the resist disk off of her kunai. "You were beaten- quit yelling!" She snapped, and Jayden raised his eyebrows with a smile. Brooke turned her attention to Kevin, clutching the white disk tightly. "Sorry for fighting you, Kevin. I tried to keep the damage to a minimum, but I needed to get close enough to use the disk."

"Fighting me?" Kevin echoed, looking at the team with wide eyes.

"You overpower me in terms of strength, so I played a little game with you, wearing you out without attacking very much," Brooke explained, holding up the resist disk. "So you chased me around here for a bit, then, once you were tired, I could attack and overpower you."

Kevin seemed to be in shock but quickly regained his composure. "If everyone's up for it, I think it's time to battle someone who isn't on our own team." The blue ranger declared, and the team nodded.

As the team, minus Brooke because she was already in her ranger suit, morphed, the nighlok summoned the tiger zord, the robot emerging from the ground. "You guys handle the nighlok, Brooke, and I will handle the tiger zord," Jayden commanded, and as the team ran off, he turned his attention to Brooke. "You ready?" He asked, pulling the lion zord out of the holder on his belt.

Brooke did the same with her wolf zord, nodding. "As I'll ever be. Let's go bud!" She yelled, and she and Jayden threw their zords in the air, both of them drawing the kanji that allowed their zords to go into megamode power.

" _Lion Folding Zord!"_

" _Wolf Folding Zord!"_

" _Megamode Power!"_ The two finished in unison, appearing in the cockpits of their respective zords and folding up their megablades, sticking them into the control panels of their zords. The wolf and lion zords stood side by side, snarling and roaring at the tiger zord.

The two zords attacked in unison, keeping near each other as their owners did in battle. The pair soon overwhelmed the tiger zord, the wolf zord clamping its metal jaw shut around the large disk that was the tiger zord's body. With enough strength, the wolf zord flung the tiger zord through the air, landing on its side. It seemed to be shut off from the impact, ruby eyes going dark, and its head dropping.

"Brooke! Now's your chance!" Jayden urged, and the lion zord let out a roar of agreement, Brooke smiling faintly.

"Right," Brooke agreed, switching from her wolf zord to the tiger zord, quickly folding up her megablade and sticking it into the control panel. She locked the resist disk into the control panel as well, and Brooke realized it was her first time even using a disk on a zord. It's ironic, she's technically been a true ranger since she turned seventeen and got into the morphing grid- but this was a new experience for her. "Let's give them a show of a lifetime, tiger zord!" Brooke commanded, pushing the joystick that was her folded up megablade forward, and soon, the zord came to life again, ruby eyes glowing brighter than before.

Soon, Madimot was in its second form as well. "Bad kitty!" The nighlok yelled at the tiger zord, who roared in response.

Brooke grinned. "Let's show them you're not a force to be messed with." She urged the tiger zord, pushing her megablade forward.

The tiger zord started charging Madimot, who fired some blasts from its shield but missed. When the drill arms of the tiger zord made contact with the nighlok, sparks flew, and Brooke's grin grew wider. The tiger zord made a large fault in the ground, and Madimot fell into it, shrieking as the others formed the samurai megazord.

Brooke spun the white disk, which was now the tiger disk, on the control panel. " _Samurai Artillery! Tiger Drill Megazord, Armed for Battle!"_ Brooke called out, and soon she found herself in the cockpit with the other rangers, in between Jayden and Mike. "Wow- this is new." She murmured, her gaze flicking around. She was much higher up when she was in with her wolf zord, and Brooke enjoyed having this much power underneath her fingertips. It was strangely freeing.

"Oh hey, it's Brooke's first time in the megazord!" Mike announced, the green ranger patting the silver on the back.

"Better make it count," Brooke grinned underneath her helmet, the samurai megazord tussling with Madimot for a couple of moments. As the nighlok raised its shield, the rangers unfolded their megablades. " _Tiger Drill: Charge!"_ Brooke yelled, thrusting her megablade forward, and the samurai megazord did just that. The megazord knocked Madimot's shield away and hit the nighlok, effectively killing it.

As Madimot exploded into a flurry of sparks, Jayden turned his attention to Brooke. "Would you like to say the honors?" He joked, and Brooke snorted, knocking his shoulder playfully.

"Together, Red. I don't wanna be stealing all of your thunder, well, fire, now," Brooke answered, and Jayden found himself smiling underneath his helmet. "On my call. 3… 2… 1…"

" _Samurai Rangers, Victory is Ours."_

* * *

Back at the Shiba House, Brooke didn't stick around long, as the exhaustion hit her with full force and it caused her to stumble, her boots squeaking on the wooden floors. Cringing at the sound, her gaze flickered towards the others. Mia, Mike, and Emily were playing a board game that involved their zords, and Jayden was talking to Kevin to the side. Smiling weakly, she walked towards her room- somewhat excited for the nap she was about to take.

After finishing his talk with Kevin, Jayden went to go join the others but stopped when he noticed that the silver ranger was missing. "Where's Brooke?" He asked.

Emily turned her attention away from the board game, smiling. "She said she was going to go get cleaned up- she looked exhausted. Maybe you should go check on her?" Emily offered, and Jayden nodded faintly, not catching the knowing looks the others shared.

Jayden left the tiger disk sitting near the edge of the coffee table and made his way to Brooke's room, knocking on the door. "Brooke, it's Jayden. Can I come in?" He asked, and hearing Brooke's faint agreement, he opened the door and entered, shutting the door behind him.

Brooke peered at him over her white comforter, and Jayden offered a smile, in which Brooke propped herself up some, flashing him a small smile in return. Jayden noticed that she was wearing his hoodie, and that made happiness swell in his chest.

"You can come sit down, y'know. Don't just stand there like a bot." Brooke teased, throwing one of her pillows at him with a grin.

Jayden caught the pillow and rolled his eyes, shaking his head with a small smile. "You're really something." He stated, throwing the pillow back at Brooke, who swatted it away with a small laugh.

"Not planning on changing anytime soon." Brooke fired back, sitting up fully as Jayden walked to the side of her bed, and she instantly reached for his hand.

Jayden allowed her to, but let out a yelp of surprise when Brooke pulled him with full force, sending him toppling onto the bed. He felt his face heat up, most likely turning the same color of the shirt he wore. "Brooke." That was the only thing his brain could form, and the silver ranger smiled cheekily at him, taking note of his flustered expression. It was cute.

"Red," Brooke replied, and laughed at the glare Jayden gave her as he sat up. "Hey now, don't look so grumpy- shit!" Brooke let out a noise of surprise, as Jayden seemed to use her tricks against her, grabbing her by the elbow and pulling her close, the two rangers falling back once again. Brooke could hear the rapid pounding of Jayden's heart and felt her own heart rate increase. "You can't use my tricks against me. That's hardly fair." Brooke whined, pretending to pout.

Jayden laughed slightly. "All's fair in war," He retorted, but after a couple of moments of silence- he realized what kind of position he was in now. Not that he disliked holding Brooke close to him, but still. "Is this okay?" Jayden heard the worry seeping in his tone, feeling the heat of his face spread to the tips of his ears.

Brooke looked up at him, smiling faintly. "This is nice, Red. I'm comfortable." She reassured him, and Jayden only nodded, tightening his hold somewhat.

Jayden didn't know if it was teenage hormones or the crush he had on Brooke- but the desire to kiss her reared its head. And while he wanted to act on them, he didn't. This was more than enough for right now, feeling Brooke rest her head on his chest and hearing her breathing slow as she fell asleep. She was more than enough, and Jayden looked down at Brooke with a small smile. She smelt like coffee and cinnamon, and combined with her slow breathing, he found himself growing sleepy as well. Jayden didn't fight it- like he usually did with his after battle exhaustion, he allowed himself to just feel at peace, for once in his life.

It was a peace he wanted to hold onto for as long as he could.


	9. rebellion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mike lashes out and just wants to be useful, and Jayden doesn't know what the hell to do when infighting erupts. A plant gets broken, and Brooke plays fetch with her zord.

Brooke found herself flipping through dusty archives- but not the regular archives this time. It was her family's, the Wolfe family's archives. They were included in the box that held the Wolf Kunai, and Brooke had instantly started to scour them for information. The archives were relatively simple, just leather-bound journals that smelt of dust and mildew, but that wasn't the bad part. Four out of the six archives were written in Latin, and while Brooke had a somewhat decent grasp on the language, it was frustrating.

So, the silver ranger used most of her free time to translate- scribbling down notes and various symbols in a spiral notebook. Brooke had first summarized the archives- archives one and two were about the origin of the silver rangers, archives three and four were about symbol power- which Brooke found herself the most interested in, and five and six were about nighlok and zords. Brooke had started with the fourth archive, and while the process was slow and made her want to slam her head against a wall- she had learned some new symbols.

It was all coming together, in its own way. Included with the archives was Jane Wolfe's journal, and Brooke was hoping that would have some answers about her missing memories. As to why they were wiped, and so on. Funnily enough, Maxx had gotten his memories wiped as well, the two Wolfe siblings not remembering anything before the ages of ten and twelve. It was somewhat confusing, but that narrowed down Brooke's suspicions that it wasn't just due to her being the silver samurai ranger. If Maxx had been affected as well- then that meant it had to be due to the Wolfe family in its entirety. Still, it didn't make it any _less_ confusing, and deciphering her mother's journal was tricky for Brooke, and usually caused more questions to arise- with little answers. But she had the answers now, Brooke just had to look for them. Which was something she could do.

* * *

After breakfast, the team gathered into the meeting room, Brooke sitting next to Emily as Jayden was standing next to Ji, the red ranger wearing his normal unreadable expression. And with that, the meeting began.

"Now that we have recovered three of the lost disks, we have a new power." Ji started, and Jayden nodded curtly.

"Beetle, swordfish, and tiger," Jayden stated, setting the respective disks gently on the table. "Together these three disks allow us to form the samurai battlewing." He explained, Ji opening the archive that he held, holding it up so the team could see.

Drawn in the archive was a bird- but it held characteristics of the three zords that combined to make it. "That looks like one powerful bird." Mike blurted, the green ranger looking at the drawing of the battlewing and then down at the three disks, Brooke noticing the excitement radiating from the green ranger. Which was somewhat confusing, but Brooke pushed it aside.

Ji nodded at Mike. "Yes, thanks to these disks," The older man agreed, lowering the archive and scanning the team. "So each one has to go to the one we think is truly ready to help pilot the battlewing." So that explained Mike's excitement- Brooke guessed that he wanted one of the disks.

"First, the tiger zord goes to Brooke," Jayden announced, and Brooke shot him a quizzical look as she took the white disk out of his hands. "The original silver ranger was the first one to use the tiger zord, and it's bound to her now, it makes Brooke our best option," Jayden explained, Brooke's eyes flashing gold for a second.

Still, Brooke broke into her signature grin, nodding confidently. "Won't let you down." She vowed, looking down at the tiger disk in her hands. A lot was happening in the past week- not that Brooke was truly complaining. She liked the new sense of power that came with each disk, having the raw strength underneath her fingertips was a nice feeling.

"The swordfish goes to Kevin, who caught it and therefore has a connection to it." Ji declared, handing the blue disk to a beaming Kevin. The blue ranger looked like he had just been told he had won the lottery, a wide smile on his face as he nodded confidently and inspected the swordfish disk with pride in his eyes.

"We decided that the beetle-" Ji started, and Jayden finished for his mentor. The two were playing off of each other's statements like it was a ping-pong match. It was somewhat amusing. Mike was now on high alert, staring at the orange disk in Jayden's hands with anticipation in his eyes.

"Should go to Mia." Jayden finished, handing the disk to the pink ranger. If Brooke had to pick a moment where shit hit the fan, it would be now. Mike had instantly deflated, and Brooke subconsciously tensed, feeling her claws grow in.

Mia's eyes widened. "Me?" She echoed, taking the orange disk out of Jayden's hand, looking almost like a deer in headlights as she looked at Ji.

Ji nodded. "We trust your control and your symbol power the most, and we know you'll do the difficult work that's needed to master this disk." He explained, and Mia stared down at the orange disk in her hands.

Brooke perked when she felt the energy in the room shift, her and Emily sharing a worried look when Mike cracked his knuckles. The green ranger looked about ready to hit _something,_ and the expression caused fear to rise in Brooke's chest- she knew that expression all too well, it was one James had worn quite often. However, the silver ranger pushed that fear aside. It wasn't James, it was Mike, and Brooke knew that no matter how pissed Mike was, he wouldn't sock a fellow ranger in the face. _James was long gone._

Jayden's voice snapped Brooke out of her thoughts. "We're counting on you, Mia." The red ranger urged, and the pink nodded, confidence shining in her eyes.

"Thank you," Mia said sweetly, looking at Jayden and Ji with an expression that was a mix of joy and pride. "I won't let you guys down." She promised, and Brooke caught the bitter expression on Mike's face.

_Let the games of jealousy commence._

* * *

Lunch rolled around, and the rest of the team heard Mike training as they ate. Well, Brooke walked into the kitchen late, giving Jayden a frazzled sort of smile as she went to go stand next to him. Brooke had forgotten from when she took Latin in school- that translating was a _bitch._ Even with google translate, the silver ranger wanted to throw the archive across the room in frustration.

"Everything alright?" Jayden asked quietly, his voice full of concern as he inspected the silver ranger. Brooke was stressed, shown by the tension she held in her body. Truthfully, she wished she could take another nap in Jayden's arms because that was the best nap she's had in a while.

Brooke didn't voice that wish, her gaze flickering to Jayden, grey eyes meeting blue. "Just a little stressed out, nothing new," She answered, and when Jayden looked almost guilty, Brooke backpedaled. "It's not because of the disk- don't worry. My damn family just doesn't make it easy for me to get the information I need. I fucking hate Latin, and that's what the archives are written in, which is frustrating. You're all good in my book, so relax, yeah?" Brooke nudged Jayden's shoulder with her own, Jayden rolling his eyes with a ghost of a smile on his lips, the pair walking towards the counter to go serve themselves some sushi.

The playful mood dropped when the team heard Mike let out another yell. "I wonder what's up with Mike? I've never seen him train that hard." Kevin wondered, and Brooke and Jayden shared a look of " _here we go",_ the silver and red rangers staying mostly quiet.

"He's been working on his symbol power a lot lately, too. I think he wanted that disk bad." Emily mused as she sat down at the small table.

Mia had an expression of guilt on her face. "I know, I feel bad taking it from him." The pink ranger agreed, looking down at her hands.

Jayden and Brooke were having a silent conversation with looks alone. The two rangers had picked up on it randomly one day and used it when things got a little too hectic. The others thought Brooke and Jayden were just making eyes at each other, but the rest of the team didn't bring that thought to light. The silver and red rangers were surprisingly dense when it came to their emotions and feelings for each other, and the other four just watched. It was amusing.

"Don't feel bad, your hard work is one of the reasons why we've chosen you. I told Mike he needs to work just as hard." Ji chided, looking at Mia with a stern expression.

Brooke snorted at Jayden's expression of " _please don't rope me into this"_ , watching as his blue eyes flickered to Ji then Mia, then returning to his sushi, the red ranger letting out a quiet sigh. Brooke discreetly grabbed his hand under the table, giving it a reassuring squeeze and then returning to her sushi, watching as Jayden brightened somewhat out of the corner of her eye.

"But he's been trying," Emily argued, but her voice was still soft as she looked at Ji.

Ji nodded curtly. "Yes, I believe he truly has it in him," The older man agreed, his voice hard. "But until he learns to listen, he's not ready."

Brooke nudged Jayden's foot with her own, breaking into a grin. "Really glad I didn't have a father figure present in my life, I did a lot of stupid shit and _most definitely_ would've gotten talks like that." She muttered, shoving a piece of sushi in her mouth.

"Like what?" Jayden asked curiously, and when Brooke swallowed her mouthful of food, her eyes had the glint that Jayden labeled as the mischievous glint- it was the way Jayden knew she was planning something.

"Another story for another day," Brooke replied, finishing her sushi. "We've got a jealous green ranger on her hands."

* * *

Brooke was about to slam her head against the wall when her samuraizer started beeping. Letting out a sigh of relief, the silver ranger set down the archive, her wolf zord flying off of her shoulder and into her open palm, folding up into its parallelogram. Attaching the zord to a belt loop in her jeans, Brooke rose to her feet and left the room where the archives were kept, flipping open her samuraizer and bringing up the map of Panorama.

Sometimes the gap sensor was slower than her samuraizer, as to why, Brooke didn't really know. Seeing Jayden shoot her a confused look, Brooke pointed to the gap sensor, and as if it was on cue, it started blaring. She stood next to Jayden as he tapped the coffee table, the map appearing as the others ran in- even Mike.

Jayden scanned the map, his gaze landing on the red dot. "Downtown." He declared, and the team sprinted out of the Shiba House, morphing early to save time.

Once the team reached Downtown, Brooke scanned the area, furrowing her brows. People were crying, looking depressed, or having some sort of mental breakdown. It was strange, to say the least, and the team shared confused murmurs.

"What's with this?" Mike wondered as he took in the scene. "Everyone's so gloomy, it's like they're all Kevin." The green ranger teased, and Kevin seemed to bristle at Mike's words, getting ready to walk over to the green ranger.

Brooke's eyes flashed gold as she spotted a dark grey rain cloud about 200 feet away from the team. When the rain came rushing down and soaked the people in that general area, their moods changed. Well, at least that explained one thing. Brooke made a move to call out to the others but stopped herself when the nighlok appeared.

The nighlok had a blue body with what could only be called a conehead, which was brown, and held a staff in its hand. "Isn't it wonderful! Such delicious depths of despair from my rain!" The nighlok cackled, motioning to the pedestrians that were losing their shit, too wound up in their own emotions to even notice the monster. "They're so lucky, being able to experience the purest, cruelest, and loveliest misery of all: the loss of hope."

"Let's get rid of this one as fast as we can," Brooke urged the others, drawing her katanas. "Who knows what might happen if the people stay like that for too long." Honestly, she was worried that the people who were affected by the nighlok's cloud were going to kill themselves. It wasn't the brightest outlook, but Brooke knew firsthand what the "loss of hope" felt like. It wasn't a good feeling.

"We will," Mike promised, his voice full of confidence as he drew his spin-sword.

"Ooh, what a disgusting sunny outlook you have. Even when the forecast calls for rain! My rain of pain!" The nighlok threatened, the team getting ready to charge the monster.

On Jayden's command, the six rangers rushed forward, Brooke feeling her senses perk up. As the nighlok raised its staff, Brooke flipped open her samuraizer, drawing one of the symbols she had picked up from the archives. " _Symbol Power: Protection!"_ She yelled, activating the symbol as the nighlok fired. The symbol for protection, which was the kanji 保護 drawn in silver, shone in the air, becoming a shield and absorbing the blast from the nighlok. Still, Brooke skidded back from the attack, Jayden steadying her before she could fall.

"Nice one." Jayden praised, and Brooke smiled faintly under her silver helmet, but her smile fell when the nighlok prepared to fire a second blast.

"Mia, Brooke! We have to use the new disks!" Kevin called, attaching his swordfish disk onto his Hydro Bow, Brooke sliding the tiger disk on her Wolf Kunai, spinning the weapon around in her hand subconsciously as she made a game plan. She could rush the nighlok- that could work.

Mia nodded confidently, holding up the orange beetle disk. "Right." The pink ranger agreed, making the move to attach the disk to her Sky Fan.

However, the nighlok seemed to have other plans. "No! Wrong as rain!" The monster sneered, firing a blast.

The blast sent the beetle disk flying in the air, and Mike instantly perked up, leaping into the air and catching the disk with ease, Mia running up to him. "Wow! Good catch!" The pink ranger cheered, holding out her hand slightly, motioning that she wanted the disk back. Mike seemed hesitant, and then quickly attached the beetle disk to his Forest Spear.

"Oh _fuck me,_ " Brooke swore when Mia and Kevin started yelling at Mike about the disk, turning her attention to Jayden. "I'm gonna rush the thing. Hopefully, that will do something." She explained to the red ranger, who nodded slightly.

"Stay safe." Jayden urged, his gaze sliding to the rest of the team as Brooke nodded and sprinted towards the nighlok. The team, sans him and Brooke, were arguing, and that caused a tension headache to start forming. Jayden didn't feel like dealing with that, as he didn't know exactly _how to,_ so he didn't. "Focus, get him now!" He commanded, motioning to the nighlok.

The nighlok was now in the air, its conehead now umbrella. Brooke leaped into the air, managing to get a couple slashes in before she hit the ground, rolling over her shoulder and jumping to her feet quickly. Kevin had followed her lead, starting to fire a couple of his blasts at the nighlok.

Mike, however, was not doing well, striking with his Forest Spear- but nothing happened. "Why isn't it working?" Mike muttered in frustration, the nighlok rising higher into the air.

Brooke grit her teeth. _Now really wasn't the best time for this,_ She thought, but she didn't voice that thought aloud. She spun the tiger disk on her Wolf Kunai, the weapon lighting up a brilliant silver color. " _Wolf Kunai: Tiger Slash!"_ Brooke yelled out the command, slashing with her kunai.

The silver attack hit the nighlok but didn't knock it out of the air like Brooke hoped it would. "It must make you sad, to be so lame!" The nighlok heckled at the team, recovering from the attack and flying off.

Brooke demorphed and shared an annoyed look with Jayden, who demorphed as well, and her gaze flickered to the blue and green rangers. She was pissed- not even about the nighlok, more about the fact that Mike and Kevin had started an argument on the battlefield. However, Brooke tried not to let her anger show, walking up to the three other rangers, forcing a grin.

"It's not your fault, Mia," Jayden reassured the pink ranger, who had an expression of guilt and fear on her face.

Brooke offered Mia a smile. "You can't control others' actions- you were just unlucky," Mia nodded, looking a little less fearful. Brooke brought her fingers to her mouth, letting out a loud whistle that got Kevin and Mike's attention. "Quit arguing- we're going back." She barked at the two rangers, her eyes flashing gold as she spun on her heel and started the walk back to the Shiba House.

* * *

Brooke sat in the middle of Emily and Mia, the girls all sharing collective looks of annoyance mixed with discomfort. Brooke felt bad for Jayden, as he was the one who had to explain the shitshow, as was now just standing there and looking like he wanted to use his symbol power to ram a rod into his own throat. Kevin was leaning against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest, leveling an angry glare with Mike.

"Mike, I am so disappointed," Ji started, his face not showing much anger, surprisingly, but his voice was still firm. "Putting yourself before the needs of the team places all of you in serious danger." He forcibly tapped his staff on the ground for emphasis, and Brooke cringed, glancing at Jayden.

Grey-gold eyes met blue, and Jayden did his little thing that Brooke found cute- quirking a brow ever so slightly. It was also him silently asking Brooke if she was okay, and she nodded faintly in response, letting out a quiet sigh as she turned her attention to Mike and Ji. She had never gotten the disappointment card played on her- it was a more disappointment punch to the face from James. Seeing Ji not even raise his voice was incredibly different.

"Here I thought you were, finally listening to me and training hard to strengthen the team," Ji continued, Brooke wondering why the rest of them had to sit through this. She kept comparing this to James, and the memories that came rushing back made her want to throw up. Still, she tried to keep her composure, holding a neutral expression, her eyes now a pure gold as Ji continued his lecture. "I can't believe it's come to this, but you've become a risk to the others. I'm going to have to ask you to hand over your samuraizer." Ji stated, his voice hard.

Mike's expression of shock turned into anger quickly. "What? You're benching me?" He exclaimed, fury sparkling in his eyes.

Ji's mouth was set into a thin line. "It pains me to say it, but, I don't think you're ready to become a true samurai." The older man answered, and Mike had apparently had enough.

The green ranger rose to his feet- meeting Ji's gaze with his own. "I'm tired of your lectures, you don't know a thing about me," Mike's voice was cold and sharp, Brooke's even widening ever so slightly. "And if I'm not ready, how come I'm able to do this?" Mike flipped open his samuraizer, Jayden starting to walk towards the green ranger as he drew a symbol and activated it, the green symbol hitting a plant.

The plant grew and wrapped around Ji's staff, the older man shooting Mike a warning glare. "Stop this," Ji commanded, the rest of the team perking up.

"Mike, stop." Mia's voice was sharper than Ji's, the pink ranger walking over to the green.

Jayden walked over to Mike as well, his expression turning from blank to annoyed quickly. "Mike, that's enough," Jayden commanded, and with that, Brooke decided she'd seen enough.

While the others were preoccupied with Mike, the silver ranger quietly slipped out of the room, jumping slightly when she heard the plant crash to the ground, presumably breaking. Brooke made her way to the outdoor dojo, settling herself on the bench that was farthest away from the doorway. As she did so, her wolf zord flew out of Brooke's pocket, seemingly noticing its owner's distress.

The wolf zord let out a whine, pawing at Brooke's nose, the action causing Brooke to break into a small smile. "I'm okay bud, here, let's play." The silver ranger flipped open her samuraizer, drawing a symbol and activating it. A tennis ball fell into Brooke's open hand, and she raised the ball slightly, the wolf zord letting out happy barks. Brooke threw the ball, and the wolf zord zipped through the air, chasing it.

It was a mindless activity, a simple routine that Brooke did whenever she was too stressed out to function without having a mental breakdown. Despite the tennis ball being bigger than her zord, the wolf zord always returned the ball, dropping it into Brooke's hand with a series of barks, and the cycle repeated itself. It went on for maybe ten minutes or so until a flash of red that intercepted the ball. The lion zord let out a roar in response to the wolf zord's growls, the red zord dropping the ball in Jayden's hand as he walked over.

The wolf zord flew over to the red ranger, letting out a whine, pawing at the tennis ball in Jayden's hands. Brooke laughed at her zord's antics, raising her eyebrows at Jayden. "He wants you to throw it," Brooked urged, and Jayden did just that, the wolf and lion zords zipping over to the ball. "So, how'd everything go?" She asked, the wolf zord dropping the ball into her hand again.

Jayden frowned slightly as he took a seat next to Brooke. "Mike walked out, a plant's broken- so, not great. Are you doing alright? You looked like you were about to have a breakdown." Jayden asked, and Brooke let out a sigh, the ball disappearing in a flash of silver.

"It was just trauma things," Brooke sucked in a breath, her eyes flashing gold. The two zords noticed the silver ranger's distress, the wolf zord settling on the top of Brooke's head, and the lion zord sitting on her shoulder. "I don't really wanna talk about it if that's alright? It's nothing against you, it's just-"

Jayden cut off Brooke's nervous rambling with a small smile. "That's perfectly fine, Brooke. Don't worry about it." He reassured, and Brooke let out a quiet sigh of relief.

"Thanks," Brooke flashed Jayden a small smile. "What'd Ji do? I assume something happened in that regard." Brooke wondered, looking at Jayden with curiosity sparkling in her grey eyes.

Jayden found the expression cute. "I just told Ji some stuff that he taught me when I was younger," Jayden explained, turning his gaze to the woods. "I think he wants Mike to be like me, honestly." The red ranger let out a small sigh, watching as a bird landed on one of the training dummies and pecked at its armored shoulder.

"That would be an _extremely_ cursed timeline," Brooke muttered, trying to imagine the scene.

Brooke was close to Jayden partly because of his personality- she found it endearing and interesting the way she and Jayden were opposites in some spots. While the red ranger usually radiated a quiet aura, the silver ranger was _loud_ , in a sense. But, despite that, the two got along well, and Brooke liked to tease the red ranger. While she was friendly to Mike- she even viewed the green ranger as a friend, being close to him like she was with Jayden? _She couldn't._ Brooke knew her head viewed Jayden differently than the others- she just couldn't figure out _how._ Viewing Mike the way? Cursed.

Shoving those thoughts aside, Brooke drew her knees to her chest. "It makes sense, in a way." She stated, holding out her hand slightly. The wolf zord flew over to her hand and folded back up into its parallelogram.

Jayden looked at Brooke with a quizzical expression. "How so?" He asked as Brooke shoved the zord back into the pocket of her leather jacket.

"Don't take this the wrong way- but you're technically the model child out of all us," Brooke remarked with a small laugh. "You're the one Ji raised, so he probably came to the conclusion that: "oh Jayden's this way, so the others are going to act this way", and Mike and Ji just… clashed in that way. Ji set expectations for Mike that he set for you, and Mike rebelled against those expectations, but both of them are technically in the wrong- they went about it the wrong way." She explained, grey eyes sliding over to Jayden, who let out a quiet groan.

"I don't know how to deal with this, Brooke. As you can tell, I'm not exactly the best with words." Jayden confessed with a small sigh, and Brooke gave him a reassuring smile, loosely intertwining her fingers with his.

"You don't have to deal with this one. It's between Mike and Ji- and you can't control either of them, and they'll sort it out," Brooke nudged his shoulder with hers. "You might be the high and mighty red ranger, but you don't have to worry about stuff like that. Conflict happens, and if it doesn't necessarily involve you, I'd say just leave it. It's just better that way sometimes." She stated, and Jayden nodded faintly, eyeing Brooke curiously.

"You know all of this, how?" Jayden wondered, and Brooke let out a bark of laughter.

Letting go of Jayden's hand, Brooke turned so that she was facing Jayden fully, sitting cross-legged on the bench. "Maxx is an _asshole._ And as his sister, I have free reign to call him that. Don't get me wrong, I love him, but god damn," Brooke shook her head with a grin, ponytail swinging. "He likes to pick fights a lot, and I used to try to patch things up, I thought that it was my job as his big sister. But, it's stressful and fucking exhausting, so I just left things. I stepped in if things got too bad, but when it's smaller things like this, it's better for me to leave it because it's out of my control," She smiled at Jayden, taking his hand and giving it a comforting squeeze. "So I rambled, but, moral of the story- don't worry about it. Things work out like they always do."

Jayden let out a quiet laugh, running his thumb over the faded scars on Brooke's hand. "Like they always do," He repeated in confirmation. "I enjoy your rambling. It's cute," Jayden added, watching as Brooke processed his words and grew flustered.

Brooke's eyes flashed gold, and pink dusted her cheeks and the tips of her ears. "Not planning on changing." She grinned, but Jayden saw right through it, but he let Brooke have her fun. He only hummed in response and squeezed her hand- and Jayden knew she was right.

Things will work out like they always do.

* * *

" _Hydro Bow!"_

" _Wolf Kunai!"_

Both Kevin and Brooke fired off their attacks, but the silver and blue attacks completely missed when the nighlok flew in the air, cackling. "Back for another dose of delightful despair, I see!" The nighlok sneered as it hovered in the air, far too high for any of the team, minus Mike, to reach.

"Well, if it isn't Mister Happy." Jayden scoffed, pointing his spin-sword at the nighlok, and Brooke held in her laughter. That was one of Jayden's worst taunts to date.

"Yes!" The nighlok agreed. "You can't even come close to defeating me while I'm flying!" The monster challenged, readying its staff and firing.

Brooke flipped open her samuraizer and got ready to draw the _protection_ symbol again, but it was too late. The blast hit the team, all five rangers hitting the ground hard. Brooke heard her samuraizer clatter to the ground a couple of feet away from her, and she moved to go retrieve the device-

"We can't move?" Brooke blurted out in shock, but then steeled her nerves. She shifted, but the brown wolf took two steps forward and then collapsed again, Brooke forcibly shifting back into a human. "Shit." She hissed, as a new sort of pain filled her body. Her heart went into overdrive, and it _hurt._ Brooke demorphed, gritting her teeth together and clenching the front of her shirt tightly in a clawed hand.

"Brooke?" Emily asked worriedly, looking at the now demorphed silver ranger, who had an expression of pain on her face, canines fully grown in.

Jayden felt his face pale at Brooke's expression, and he willed his body to move. But he couldn't, and that caused panic to settle in. Luckily Mia was at the girl's side, the pink ranger gathering enough strength to sit next to Brooke and help the silver ranger to sit up.

"I think whatever the nighlok did to us that made us not move and my shifting is going haywire," Brooke choked out, her face pale and her eyes a brilliant gold. "It won't kill me, but it hurts like a bitch." She let out a hiss of pain, and black spots decorated her vision, her subconsciously slumping against Mia.

"Just hang on, we'll figure something out," Mia reassured, the silver ranger nodding weakly.

The nighlok noticed the team struggling and snickered. "I'll put you all out of your marvelous misery!" The nighlok threatened, readying its staff to fire another blast. "Goodbye fools!"

"Think again nighlok!" As if on cue, Mike came sprinting in, stopping in front of the team. "You'll have to get through me first." Mike challenged, and Brooke had never been for the green ranger- because she didn't know if she could take another blast without serious consequences. And she didn't feel like dying today.

"Excellent! You'll get to feel the same delicious defeat they did!" The nighlok exclaimed gleefully, and Mike narrowed his eyes.

"Try me." The green ranger spat, flipping open his samuraizer. " _Samuraizer: Go Go Samurai!"_ Mike drew his respective symbol, and the green suit materialized on his body. "Samurai ranger, ready!"

Mike spun the disk on his spin-sword, summoning his Forest Spear and calling out the weapon's name. He attached the green bear disk to his spin sword and ran forward, ignoring the nighlok's witty remarks and dodging its blasts. Spinning the weapon over his head, Mike thrust the tip of his Forest Spear into the ground, using it to help propel himself in the air. Now the green ranger was just hovering in the air, and Brooke didn't know if that was her hallucinating from the pain or not. She just accepted it and closed her eyes. It wasn't the strangest thing she's seen.

"It's time for a change in the weather forecast!" Mike called, spinning his Forest Spear over his head. The weapon turned back into his spin-sword, and Mike spun the bear disk on the hilt of the weapon, the blade of his sword lighting up green. "I predict mostly scattered leaves and an end to your sad showers, once and for all! _Spin-Sword: Tree Symbol Strike!"_ The five green attacks hit the nighlok and sent it flying across the city, the monster exploding when it made contact with the ground.

As Emily and Kevin congratulated Mike, Brooke felt some of her strength return. With enough willpower she forced herself onto her feet, stumbling over to retrieve her fallen samuraizer. Jayden was quicker, picking up the device and looking at Brooke with concern underneath his red helmet.

"Are you sure you're okay to fight?" Jayden asked, his voice laced with concern, and a ghost of a smile appeared on Brooke's lips.

Taking her samuraizer from Jayden's hand, the silver ranger nodded. "It's the easy part now, I'll be careful," Brooke vowed as the silver suit appeared on her body, giving Jayden a thumbs up, the red ranger squeezing her shoulder comfortingly in response.

The team went into megamode power when the nighlok grew in size, the original five forming the samurai megazord and Brooke appearing in the cockpit of her wolf zord, the team glaring at the nighlok who let out a laugh. "Even now, you're not a match for me!" The nighlok snickered, flying into the air again.

Brooke heard the others' confused murmurs, and the wolf zord growled at the monster, who fired blasts from its staff in response. The wolf zord bounced out of the way just in time, Brooke pointing forward and yelling out a command. " _Howl!"_ The silver burst of energy hit the nighlok, stopping the monster's assault on the samurai megazord.

"We can't just let him take shots from above us! It's risky, but we need to try the samurai battlewing combination," Jayden urged, Kevin and Mike, who was given the beetle disk from Mia, agreed and attached the blue and orange disk to their control panels. "Brooke?" The red ranger asked the silver, who was busy trying not to get shot at, the wolf zord bouncing around with a series of barks.

"Yessir," Brooke joked, attaching the tiger disk to her control panel and spinning the white disk. She soon appeared in the cockpit of the tiger zord and folded up her megablade, sticking it into the control panel. "It's showtime!" Brooke flipped open her samuraizer and drew the combination symbol. " _Zords Combine! Samurai Battlewing!"_ She yelled, activating the symbol.

The three zords formed the samurai battlewing, and Brooke enjoyed the sense of power underneath her fingertips as she steered the zord. With the help of Mike and Kevin, soon the nighlok was dealt with, the three rangers making the final strike. The nighlok soon exploded, and Brooke allowed herself to relax as Jayden's voice floated through the comms.

" _Samurai Rangers, Victory is Ours."_

* * *

Brooke watched Mike give the plant to Ji, nudging Jayden slightly with a grin. "See? I told you things would work out." She commented cheekily, and Jayden rolled his eyes with a small smile.

"You're something else." Jayden retorted, and Brooke pretended to pout, which quickly turned into a cheeky smile at Jayden's glare.

"Hey now, you wouldn't have stuck around this long if you didn't find it somewhat funny," Brooke fired back, her grin growing wider and grey eyes sparkling with what seemed like adoration. "So I'm doing something right, or you're a really good actor." She added, watching as Mike flipped open his samuraizer, and the playful atmosphere dropped quickly, the team, sans Mike, tensing somewhat.

Mike noticed the increased tension and shook his head with a grin. "Hey, relax. Watch this." The green ranger drew a symbol in the air. The symbol hit the plant, and the plant grew and turned into a fist, and Jayden glanced at Brooke, who was watching the plant with a curious expression.

"I'm glad you're here." Jayden murmured, and he didn't intend for Brooke to hear it- but he forgot about the girl's heightened senses.

Brooke didn't respond directly, keeping her eyes trained on the plant as it fist-bumped Ji as she stepped closer to Jayden, discreetly holding his hand, rubbing her thumb on the back of his hand. Jayden enjoyed the action and found that a small smile was growing on his face as the team went about their after-battle cheeriness.


	10. runaway red

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With multiple nighlok making their appearances and stress being piled on the silver and red ranger's shoulders, Jayden realized that stuffing his emotions is his go-to in times of crisis. And when he can't do that, he avoids his feelings- and problems, entirely.

After she had started reading her mother's journal, Brooke found herself having strange dreams. The dreams were the ones that left you more exhausted than before you went to bed- and Brooke couldn't decide whether they were better than her nightmares or not. At least with her nightmares, the silver ranger knew what caused them, and somewhat understood them. These dreams were vastly different, it was white lights, people yelling, and _pain_. It was an intense pain that seemed to be in Brooke's bloodstream, and she felt it when she woke up with a start.

It was the same now, Brooke nearly yelling out as the pain flared, gritting her teeth and death-gripping her comforter in clawed hands. It caused spots to decorate her vision, and Brooke squeezed her eyes shut- willing the pain to subside. It did, somewhat, and she let out a quiet sigh of relief, ignoring the aching of her body as she swung her feet over the side of her bed. Pulling on Jayden's hoodie, Brooke grabbed her phone off of her bedside table and turned the device on, squinting as her eyes adjusted to the bright light. It was around 11:30, and Brooke wondered if Jayden was awake. She realized she wanted some sort of comfort, and she hoped that Jayden could provide it.

Letting out a sigh, Brooke ran a clawed hand over her face. There was no harm in seeing if the red ranger was awake, so she did just that. Tucking her phone into her hoodie pocket, Brooke stood, wincing when pain flared again, the silver ranger gritting her teeth as she somewhat stumbled to her door. Opening the door, her eyes flashed gold when she stepped into the hallway, and then breathed a sigh of relief. Jayden was still awake, as told by the faint light coming from his room at the end of the hall.

The pain had disappeared as Brooke padded down the hall, making sure to stay quiet. She had quickly learned how to walk silently when living with James- walking toe to heel, and it became a habit at this point. She quickly reached Jayden's door, knocking quietly.

Jayden opened the door, his hair slightly damp and his brows furrowed, but soon relaxed when he realized it was just Brooke, who wore a weary smile. "Everything alright?" He asked quietly, and Brooke's smile fell.

"Yeah, for the most part," Brooke replied, her eyes flashing. "This is going to be a selfish request, but can I, uh, talk to you for a little bit? I understand-" She started, but Jayden cut off her nervous rambling by lightly grabbing her wrist and pulling her into his room, Jayden shutting the door behind him.

"You don't have to ask-" Jayden made a noise of surprise when Brooke instantly wrapped him into a tight hug, burying her face into the crook of his neck. Jayden frowned when he felt Brooke shaking, him returning the hug. "You're shaking, what's wrong?" He asked when they pulled away, blue eyes meeting grey-gold.

Brooke's eyes flashed as she wet her dry lips. "Just a rough night," She confessed, letting out a shaky laugh. "Hellbrain won't shut off, y'know, the usual at this point." Brooke didn't feel like explaining everything to Jayden, so she just… summarized. While she knew Jayden would listen- she didn't want to take more of his time. Brooke considered herself lucky to get this far.

Jayden wore a small, comforting smile. "I understand all too well," He murmured, and Brooke watched as pink dusted his cheeks, the red ranger suddenly looking embarrassed. "You can stay if you want." He mumbled, and Jayden felt his heart pound in his chest. He didn't even know why he was embarrassed- he and Brooke used to share a bed whenever Jayden had nightmares when the two were little, but this seemed different, in a way. Maybe it was because they were older? Jayden didn't really know, but he pushed those thoughts aside.

Brooke blinked in surprise and then nodded faintly. "Yeah, I would like that." She murmured in agreement, her voice barely audible as heat rose to her cheeks.

The two rangers were equally embarrassed, just staring at each other for a moment, but a loud _ping!_ coming from Brooke's phone snapped them out of it. Pulling her phone out of the pocket of her- _well, Jayden's hoodie_ , Brooke read the notification. It was Casper telling her goodnight, and Brooke texted him a quick response, then turning her phone on silent, turning to face Jayden. She opened her mouth to speak, only ducking before a pillow could hit her, leveling a glare at the red ranger, the pillow hitting the floor with a _thump_.

Jayden felt the corners of his lips twitch, raising a brow. "What?" He feigned ignorance, playing Brooke's usual game against her. Jayden knew it was childish- very much so, but he wanted to break the silver ranger's upset mood. He didn't necessarily know-how, so Jayden just did what she did to make him feel better, which was acting somewhat childish.

It did work somewhat, and Brooke rolled her eyes with a grin. "I call bullshit- you know exactly what you're doing." She retorted, picking the pillow up off of the floor and throwing it back at the red ranger, who swatted it away with a small laugh. Brooke then shifted, the brown wolf hopping onto the bed and sitting on her haunches, wolf-Brooke's fluffy brown and white tail wagging slowly.

Smiling fondly at the wolf, Jayden got into bed fully, turning off his bedside lamp. Once the room was cast in darkness, he heard the faint rustling of his sheets, feeling wolf-Brooke make her way to his side. Once she laid down, she shifted back, and Jayden concluded she was using her wolf form to hide her embarrassment, which was something he found endearing. Pulling the comforter over them both, Jayden then loosely wrapped an arm around Brooke's waist, ignoring the pounding of his heart and the heat rising to his face.

Brooke quickly made herself comfortable, and she rested her head on Jayden's chest, hearing his heart rate slow. "Thank you." She murmured, and Jayden's hand removed from her waist to her hair, Jayden lazily running his hand through it.

The action was calming, and Brooke felt herself falling asleep quickly. Before she drifted off, she heard Jayden respond. "Of course. I'm always here for you." He promised, his voice quiet, and the corners of Brooke's lips twitched upwards, the silver ranger making a silent vow to herself as she let sleep overtake her. It was the vow to keep Jayden close- because she didn't want to lose him.

* * *

Brooke skidded to a stop when the morphed team reached Panorama's memorial garden, taking in the sight. There were countless moogers in the area, which quickly surrounded the team. A loud crashing snapped Brooke's attention to the giant moogers, who had appeared and started to wreak havoc on the taller buildings the city offered.

Quickly coming up with a game plan as she and Jayden cut down moogers side by side, Brooke turned her attention to the green and blue rangers. "Mike! Kevin! We need to get the battlewing ready!" She called over the sounds of battle, and when Brooke saw the two rangers nod, she removed the wolf disk off of her Wolf Kunai, throwing it in Jayden's general direction. "You might find some use for that while I'm in the skies." She motioned to the silver disk, performing a somersault over a mooger's attack.

Jayden caught the disk with ease and put it on his spin sword, slightly taken aback when a burst of adrenaline and strength filled his body. "Thanks, Brooke, stay safe." He urged, turning his attention back to the battle.

"Always am," Brooke responded, soon finding herself in the cockpit of the tiger zord, the silver ranger folding up her megablade and sticking it into the control panel.

Upon hearing the familiar rawr of the tiger zord, Jayden felt his lips twitch into a smile. The wolf disk was incredibly useful, the boost of strength was a nice feeling. Still, it made Jayden curious as to where it came from- as his own disk didn't give him a boost of strength. Summing it up due to Brooke's powers of being a shifter, Jayden swung his spin-sword with ease, slicing through moogers cleanly and causing the creatures to fall to the ground.

Still, it seemed like whenever a mooger was cut down, five more appeared in its place. "Sure hope they show up soon!" Emily spoke breathlessly, cutting down multiple moogers at once.

Jayden inwardly groaned at the onslaught of moogers, but he didn't share his displeasure with the others. "We're capable, and they're on their way." He reassured the two girls, landing powerful strikes. Jayden brought his hand up to the wolf disk on his spin-sword, watching the blade on his sword light up in a mix of red and silver. _"Spin-Sword: Blazing Wolf Strike!"_

Jayden yelled out the attack, swinging his sword around his body in a large circle. A large ring of fire appeared, setting most of the moogers ablaze. The creatures that weren't ablaze were dealt with by two translucent silver wolves, who lunged at moogers and barked happily.

Meanwhile, the beetle and swordfish zords had appeared, moving towards the giant moogers. "We got giant moogers dead ahead!" Mike declared through the comms, excitement laced in his tone. "Let's do it, Brooke!"

Brooke grinned underneath her silver helmet as she flipped open her samuraizer and drew the combination symbol. _"Zords Combine: Samurai Battlewing!"_ The silver ranger called out, the three zords forming the battlewing. _"Let's give 'em hell!"_ Brooke challenged, pointing forward enthusiastically.

The battlewing soared through the skies, knocking down the giant moogers, sparks flying from the creatures wherever the combined zords made contact. It wasn't long until all of the giant moogers were defeated, Brooke finding herself in the midst of battle on the ground again. Spying Jayden, Brooke shifted, the brown wolf lunging at a mooger that had gotten too close to the red ranger to her liking.

"Thanks," Jayden remarked, wolf-Brooke letting out a happy bark and shifting back, Brooke drawing her Wolf Kunai and cutting down moogers in rapid succession. "Does the wolf disk always give you a boost of strength?" The red ranger wondered, and Brooke snorted.

"Dunno, if it's a steroids disk, it's a steroids disk. Just trying not to get my ass kicked, for the most part," Brooke jokingly responded, ducking under a mooger's swing and responding with her own slashes. "Why? Is it really making a big difference? It might be because you're not a shifter- or the fact you're not used to fighting with a power that's not elemental based."

Jayden blocked a mooger's attack and quickly kicked it back, following up with a strike that caused the creature to explode in a flurry of sparks. "Whatever it is, it's powerful," Jayden concluded, and Brooke let out a bark of laughter.

"I'll take it," The silver ranger mused as the team circled up, the moogers not stopping their assault. "It's a full house today." She summarized, gold eyes scanning the area.

"Man, there's a whole lotta ugly here," Mike remarked, readying his sword again once the team had fully regrouped.

It looked like the team hadn't even made a dent. "Let's change that!" Brooke urged, sliding the wolf disk in place on the Wolf Kunai, Jayden handing the silver disk back to its owner. _"Wolf Kunai: Full Pack!"_ Brooke slashed with the kunai, soon the others performed their special attacks as well.

Even with the six attacks, it barely made a dent, annoyance radiating off of the rangers. "Ugh, they're like roaches!" Mia complained, Brooke switching out the Wolf Kunai for her katanas.

"Then we have to be the exterminators!" Kevin retorted, and with that, the team jumped into battle again.

Brooke and Jayden stuck close to each other like they usually did, covering each other's blind spots and weak points with very little verbal communication. It was an almost comforting routine- however, that soon fell when the moogers and cracks in the pavement started glowing, a feeling of dread consuming the silver and red rangers. **"Silver and red rangers, silver and red rangers."** The moogers chanted, starting to make their way over to the pair.

"What's going on?" Jayden wondered aloud while Brooke muttered " _what the fuck_ ", swapping her katanas for her kunai.

The cracks started to glow even brighter, and Brooke and Jayden tensed, sharing a worried look underneath their helmets. As the rest of the team froze, the two rangers continued fighting, slashing down moogers as the voice continued chanting. Brooke started to feel the dull throb of her arms and sweat form at her hairline, but she just grit her teeth, cutting through more and more moogers. She wondered why the voice- who Brooke was guessing was Xandred, wanted her. It somewhat made sense as to why Xandred would want Jayden, he was the leader of the team- the red ranger. But her? Brooke knew she was particularly human, but doubted it was because of that. Then, Brooke remembered something in her family's archives, and her eyes widened slightly. _Well, fuck._

"Protect yourselves!" Both Jayden and Brooke barked when the team circled around them, seemingly making the move to protect them.

"Red, your lion disk!" Brooke urged, and Jayden nodded, taking the red disk off of his spin sword and handing it to Brooke, who replaced the wolf disk with the lion disk. Brooke spun the disk, and when the blade of her kunai lit up red and silver, she spun the weapon in her hand once and then pointed it towards the sky. _"Blazing Wolves!"_ The silver ranger yelled, slashing down with her Wolf Kunai.

In a burst of silver and red energy, two wolves made of fire appeared, the team letting out noises of shock. The two wolves turned their attention to Brooke, who pointed forward. _"Sick 'em!"_ Brooke screamed, and the wolves started doing just that, bouncing around and lunging at moogers, setting moogers on fire, and cutting them down.

"That's new," Jayden remarked, taking the lion disk back from Brooke, and watching the two wolves. One had taken a mooger's leg in its mouth and was shaking it like a dog toy, its fluffy tail making contact with moogers behind it and setting them ablaze. The other was lunging about, biting and slashing with claws and teeth.

"Thank the archives," Brooke remarked breathlessly. "I can probably try it with the others' disks too, but I'm closest to you, and since the wolves are technically made up of our symbol power, they'll listen better." She panted, turning her attention to Jayden. "You can try commanding them if you want."

Jayden nodded, letting out a loud whistle. The wolves instantly perked and turned their attention to the red ranger, pupilless eyes glowing bright orange. _"Finish it!_ " He commanded, and pulled Brooke closer to his side, preventing her from getting burned as the wolves howled and disappeared in large amounts of fire.

The fire wiped out all of the moogers, but before the team could say anything, the cracks started glowing again. **"Red and silver rangers, you're in danger!"** The voice threatened with a laugh, and then faded out, and the cracks stopped glowing.

Jayden let go of his hold on Brooke as the two rangers demorphed, Jayden going to inspect one of the cracks, and Brooke sniffing the air. Despite the smell of the moogers- which was fading quickly, it all smelt normal, which was extremely concerning. Brooke ran a clawed hand over her face and glanced at Jayden, who was glaring at one of the cracks, his hands curled tightly into fists.

The red ranger knew exactly what the threat meant for him- it was about the sealing symbol, which wasn't even his job in all actuality, but _Brooke?_ That concerned Jayden to no end- she was the last person Jayden wanted to be directly threatened by Xandred. Blue eyes landed on the silver ranger, who was deep in thought, her eyes flashing as she shoved her clawed hands into her pockets- and something about it made Jayden's heart _hurt_. He didn't know exactly what about the expression made him feel this way, perhaps it was the fear she was trying to hide, but Jayden could tell that she was scared, by the faint shaking of her shoulders. All he could do was walk to her side and faintly nudge her shoulder, Brooke giving Jayden a forced smile that was laced with fear in response.

"Alright, can someone please tell me what the _hell_ that voice was?" Mike exclaimed, glancing at Brooke and Jayden.

"I've never heard something so evil," Emily added with a mutter, curls bouncing as she shook her head faintly.

Mia seemed to connect the dots, turning her attention to the silver and red rangers. "That wasn't a normal nighlok, was it?" She questioned, and Jayden let out a quiet sigh.

Glancing at Brooke one last time, Jayden turned to face Mia. "It wasn't," Jayden agreed, his voice monotone. He had shut off his thoughts and emotions- he didn't need them now. "I think it was Master Xandred."

Brooke tensed, getting ready to sprint back to the Shiba House, but was stopped by Jayden grabbing her arm. "Red, I know why Xandred's after me," Brooke muttered, her eyes turning pure gold. She tried to control her racing thoughts- piecing blurbs of information she had picked up from the archives together. "It's about the sealing symbol- _a sealing symbo_ l." Luckily, the team was too consumed in their own theories to notice Brooke and Jayden, Brooke looking like she was on the verge of a mental breakdown.

Jayden felt his eyes widen slightly and nodded curtly. "Lead the way." He urged, and Brooke nodded.

* * *

The two had made it to the Shiba House much faster than the others, Brooke quickly collecting her family's archives and notebook as Jayden went to go get Ji. The two walked into the meeting room to find Brooke frantically flipping through the archive.

"A sealing symbol?" Jayden questioned, and Brooke nodded, finding the page in the archive.

Ji watched the two in concern as Jayden took a seat next to Brooke, the red ranger peering at the archive. "You're talking about the cage symbol, aren't you?" Ji asked, and blue and gold eyes snapped towards the older man, both sparkling with confusion.

"The cage symbol?" Jayden echoed, looking at Ji, and then Brooke in confusion.

Brooke nodded. "I hadn't translated the page yet, because I thought it wasn't that important, but since Xandred wants my head, I'm guessing it's a pretty serious thing," Brooke replied, letting out a sigh, starting to read from the page. " _Cavea principalis in figura est signum cione_ \- The cage symbol is a symbol like the Shiba family's sealing symbol, but is held by the Wolfe family," Brooke translated and read aloud, biting her bottom lip.

"It uh, _fuck_ , I'm skipping that because I can't translate that off of the top of my head, but _quod est esse in signo tenuit in domo Shiba_ \- it is to be used with the symbol held by the Shiba family. If not, and only one symbol is used, the sealing power is weaker, and not permanent," Brooke finished, looking at Ji with raised eyebrows. "I understand about half of that- so please share with the class."

Ji let out a heavy sigh, trying to find the rights words to say. "What the archive says is true. Part of the reason Xandred has returned is that Jane- she was killed before she could master the symbol, and was unable to use it against Master Xandred," He explained and noticed the guilt forming on Brooke's expression. "Your mother's fate wasn't planned, Brooke. It's not your fault things ended up this way."

Brooke shot a wide-eyed look at Jayden, who loosely intertwined his fingers with hers. He felt Brooke's claws prick his skin, but Jayden didn't mind that much. He was concerned about Brooke, who looked like she was going to burst into tears, stress, and guilt etched on her face. Jayden opened his mouth to ask Ji questions but was cut off by Mike.

"What's this about Brooke's mom? Are you guys keeping secrets from us?" Rapid-fire questions fell from Mike's mouth, but the silver and red rangers didn't respond, only dropping hands.

Brooke sucked in a sharp breath- and with that, everything went neutral. She entered a dissociative like state, just listening to the conversation around her. It was easier that way, as Brooke wanted to slam her head against a wall until she was unconscious, but she couldn't do that. So, she just shut everything off, only really paying attention to Jayden, who sat beside her. He had seemingly done the same, the silver and red rangers almost falling silent as Ji sat down on one of the cushioned seats in the meeting room.

"There are secret symbols that can be used to create a seal, the previous red ranger used it to imprison Master Xandred." Ji started, and Jayden blocked it out. He remembered the night he got told his father had fallen in battle- it was a night he surely wouldn't forget, and one that appeared in his nightmares a fair bit.

"So that means it's up to Jayden now?" Mike asked, his voice quiet.

"Yes, only members of the red ranger Shiba family can use the seal," Ji replied, and Jayden felt his body tense. He hated this. Jayden knew it was an elaborate set of lies that kept everyone safer but after so many years? He hated it.

Kevin looked at Ji quizzically. "But Master Xandred also mentioned Brooke as well. Does she have some sort of sealing symbol?" The blue ranger questioned.

"Yes, the Wolfe family has its own sealing symbol- called the cage symbol. However, Jane Wolfe, Brooke's mother, had been killed in the surprise attack when it started." Ji lied, looking at Brooke out of the corner of his eye. He knew he needed to tell the truth, and was making things worse by lying more- but Ji couldn't find the heart to tell Brooke that her mother technically had killed herself- and was bleeding out on the side of a mountain for hours before being found.

"That means you two are the real deal." Mike let out a low whistle, and the silver and red rangers didn't respond.

Emily looked at the pair, respect gleaming in her blue eyes. "Still, they both gave their lives to protect us." She murmured, and Jayden and Brooke glanced at each.

Taking in Jayden's look of wanting to leave, Brooke nodded faintly. She noticed the tension in his body- and didn't blame the red ranger. She wasn't doing much better, frankly, she wanted to have a mental breakdown. However, Brooke knew she couldn't do that. _But she could leave._ When Jayden rose to his feet, Brooke shifted, the brown wolf padding at the red ranger's side as they both left the room.

* * *

Jayden had sought solace in his room, planning to just change into his training uniform and just do something to clear his mind, and that plan was going pretty well, until he heard the others talking in the outdoor dojo, him hiding at the doorway to eavesdrop.

Brooke walked down the hall, noticing Jayden and raising a brow. The red ranger only motioned towards the outdoor dojo, and realization dawned on the silver's face. Brooke made her way to Jayden's side, walking silently and leaned against the wall, tuning into her wolf hearing. "If we work as a team, we can protect Brooke and Jayden from anything!" Brooke heard Kevin state, and the silver and red rangers both cringed, sharing a look of annoyance.

"Now I see it!" Emily agreed. "This is what we've been training our whole lives for-"

Brooke and Jayden seemed to have the same idea, the two rangers nodding slightly and moving from their hiding spots, Jayden standing at the doorway and Brooke leaning against the door frame. "That's _bullshit_ ," Brooke spoke, eyes flashing and her voice cold as the rangers' eyes landed on the pair. "We don't need special treatment- focus on keeping yourselves alive."

Jayden nodded. "It's not necessary, protect yourselves. It's business as usual," He tried to keep his tone as emotionless as he could, but some of the anger Jayden tried to hide seeped through. His body was tense as he grabbed a training sword from the rack and moved to one of the training dummies. "Stay focused on the battle at hand as a team, okay?"

"We must protect you two- at all costs!" Kevin argued, and Brooke wondered if there was a symbol power to shut people up.

"Enough," Brooke demanded, pushing herself off of the doorframe and starting her walk to the gate that was near the outdoor dojo. "It's too much. Keep yourselves alive, we can protect ourselves. Don't throw your lives away like that- and it's a shitty way to live. I speak from experience." Brooke had used to view Maxx and Casper in the same light, it was overbearing and incredibly stressful. She didn't want the team to view her as some sort of martyr, either.

"It's too much of a burden to bear." Jayden agreed, and he felt Brooke's fingertips brush his arm.

"I'm going on a walk. Good luck." Brooke murmured so only Jayden could hear, and the red ranger nodded.

Truth be told, Jayden now wished he had asked to go on a walk, but it was already too late now. Plus, Brooke's body language made it clear that she was going to snap, by the way her shoulders shook with anger and her canines were fully bared. So, Jayden left her alone. "Stay safe." He muttered, and Brooke nodded, forcing a smile.

"Always am," Brooke replied, and then with that, she left.

The silver ranger had made it to the heart of Panorama when her samuraizer started beeping. Brooke let out a sigh, running a clawed hand over her face, pulling the device out of her pocket. Flipping the device open, Brooke cursed under her breath, spinning on her heels and sprinting back the direction she came, grey leather boots pounding on the pavement.

* * *

Brooke didn't bother with shifting back, only reaching the edge of a steep incline, golden eyes taking in the scene. Jayden was fighting the nighlok- alone, which was pretty concerning, and the silver ranger's gut told her to rush in and help him. So, Brooke planned to do just that, surveying her surroundings. Climbing down carefully would take too much time, so wolf-Brooke just started sliding down the cliffside, digging her paws into the loose soil to provide some sort of grip.

Mike was the first one to notice the brown wolf. "Brooke!" He called, getting wolf-Brooke's attention and the nighlok's.

"Ah, yer the other one who has the tricks up your sleeve! The boss has a problem with ya!" The nighlok sneered in a Scottish accent, and Jayden grit his teeth. He wanted Brooke by his side- he always did, but something about the nighlok was unnerving to the red ranger.

Jayden pushed those thoughts aside, racing forward and getting to attack the nighlok again- but it was too late. _"Brooke!"_ Jayden's voice came out more worried than he liked, but still. It got the point across.

Wolf-Brooke felt her senses respond to a shift in energy, and she saw that the nighlok was charging up some attack, Jayden being flung to the side like a chew toy. As the nighlok fired its double slash move, Brooke pooled all of her strength into her hind legs and leaped off of the cliffside. While she still dodged most of the attack, the force from it hitting the cliffside caused Brooke to fly farther than she expected, the brown wolf letting out a sharp whine as she collided with the ground.

The impact caused Brooke to forcibly shift back into a human, the silver ranger rolling a couple of times. Still, Brooke quickly forced herself to her feet, cutting off the team before they could start. "Focus on yourselves!" She barked, turning her attention to Jayden. While she knew it would make him annoyed- he was getting his ass somewhat kicked. And Brooke didn't want to see Jayden Shiba die today.

To prevent that from happening, Brooke took off in a sprint, flipping open her samuraizer. _"Go Go Samurai!"_ Brooke yelled, and as the familiar suit appeared on her body. The fear that filled her gut was soon replaced with adrenaline, and she moved as quickly as she could, sprinting to reach the nighlok and Jayden.

The nighlok had sent Jayden flying and was now walking towards the red ranger. "Yer down and you'll soon be out!" The nighlok threatened, swinging down, and Jayden braced himself for the pain that was going to come.

It didn't come, replaced by a loud clang of Brooke's katanas meeting with the nighlok's blade. "Brooke?" Jayden murmured in surprise, the silver ranger landing a strong kick against the nighlok and sending the monster stumbling back.

"You _absolute dumbass,"_ Brooke replied, helping Jayden to his feet, the red ranger picking up his spin-sword. "Stupidity will get you killed on a battlefield-" Brooke started, but cut herself off when she felt her senses perk again. The nighlok was charging up another one of his double slash moves, and Brooke flipped open her samuraizer and drew a symbol quickly. _"Protection!"_

The silver symbol did absorb a large amount of the attack, but the portion that didn't get shielded hit Brooke with full force. The silver ranger fell off the side of the cliff, and Brooke could barely make out Jayden's concerned yell as she hit the ground. The pain that filled her body was immense, but Brooke found herself still morphed, staggering to her feet. Her eyes landed on Jayden, and Brooke felt her blood run cold.

The warning died in Brooke's throat as she watched Jayden take a double slash straight on. Brooke ignored the shaking of her hands as she drew the protection symbol again, the symbol providing a cushion so that Jayden didn't hit the ground as hard as she did. It worked, and Brooke cleared her head, moving quickly and kicking Jayden's spin-sword in his direction. She picked up her abandoned katanas, ignoring the pain that flared with every step.

The red and silver rangers moved on instinct now, rushing the nighlok without saying a word to each other. The blasts the two took weakened them, however. Brooke and Jayden landed on their backs, and while Brooke shifted and started tapping into the energy she reserved for her wolf form, Jayden didn't have that. Still, she could keep the nighlok busy- or so she thought. Keyword: _thought_.

The nighlok viewed Jayden as the weaker target, as he couldn't even stand. "I'd thought you'd be tough, but you're crawling around like a bug!" The nighlok snickered, and Brooke lunged with a growl, her claws making contact with the nighlok. However, the nighlok landed a strong slash to the brown wolf's side, which sent wolf-Brooke flying. "The both of ya!" The nighlok mocked, readying its blade and turning its attention back to Jayden. "And I love to crush bugs! _Double Slash_!"

When Brooke landed on the ground, she shifted back, and could only watch in horror as the nighlok fired the double slash move with the intent to knock Jayden down for the count. She couldn't muster enough strength to get up, let alone use enough symbol power to activate the third protection symbol of the fight. The scene played in slow motion, and Brooke felt her heart stop when Kevin and Emily ran forward- taking the double slash head-on.

As the yellow and blue rangers hit the ground, demorphed and unconscious, Jayden let out a yell. "No! This is exactly what I didn't want to happen!" His voice was so _pained_ that it made Brooke's heart hurt.

Mike and Mia yelled the fallen ranger's names, and Brooke willed herself to her feet, wincing with every step she took. Her entire body hurt, but she could still fight. She was still morphed, so Brooke concluded she was doing better than Emily and Kevin. When the nighlok started to walk towards the red, yellow, and blue rangers, the silver broke into an uneven jog, ignoring the pounding of her head and the pain that flared from her ankle. She would protect them, that's the best she could do, _right?_

"Those fools must really care about ya! That's their mistake!" The nighlok sneered, pointing its blade at Jayden, and Brooke drew her Wolf Kunai, getting ready to fire off an attack that would at least direct the nighlok's attention to her.

However, the next couple of seconds seemed to happen in a blur. Mike and Mia ran up to protect the three other rangers, and right before the nighlok could attack, a new nighlok- Deker, appeared. Deker easily cut the pink and green rangers down, the two rangers hitting the ground and demorphing, and Brooke found herself dumbstruck for a moment. This- this couldn't be real. The nighlok was already giving them enough trouble as it is, but _Deker_?

Snapping out of her trance, Brooke shook her head and narrowed her eyes. Just another threat. She just had to keep herself alive, and that was kind of easy. Kind of. Sheathing her kunai, Brooke shifted again, quickly making her way over to Jayden's side. The silver ranger shifted back, grabbing Jayden's spin-sword off of the ground and blocking Deker's strike before it could decapitate the red ranger, who was struggling to find the strength to sit up.

"Can't you read the room?" Brooke spat at Deker, narrowing her eyes and pushing skeletal away with all of her strength. It worked, but pain instantly arose, Brooke gritting her teeth as she turned her attention to Jayden, holding out his spin-sword towards him. "Here, I gotta feeling this is gonna get a lot tougher." The silver ranger spoke breathlessly, and Jayden took the spin-sword out of the girl's hand.

"Brooke-" Jayden started, worry seeping into his tone, but Brooke shook her head, cutting him off.

"Focus on yourself, it's gonna be okay, Red," Brooke reassured Jayden, who was unconvinced but didn't say anything else. "You handle Double Slash Guy and I can take Deker?" She questioned, and Jayden glanced at Brooke out of the corner of his eye.

They both weren't doing the greatest, but the two rangers knew they had no choice. Jayden was worried, and he also realized he was scared. Scared for himself, scared for the team, it was a type of fear that Jayden hadn't felt before. He tried to shut his emotions off- like how he usually did, but the red ranger was too exhausted for that. Jayden, for once in his life, couldn't stuff down his emotions, and that was extremely concerning. This whole battle was extremely concerning, and the way it was going? It didn't seem like it would end well for the two remaining rangers.

Still, Jayden swallowed past his fear and nodded faintly. "That's fine. Just… please stay safe." The last part ended in a mumble, and Brooke couldn't find the heart to respond like how she usually did. Jayden sounded so _small_ , and it made Brooke somewhat upset.

"You too. If you need anything, yell. I'll be there." Brooke promised, and the silver and red rangers collected their bearings as the two nighlok argued.

"Deker?!" The Scottish nighlok blurted, seemingly in shock. "What are you doing here?!" The monster questioned, confusion mixed with surprise laced in its tone.

Deker had recovered quickly from Brooke shoving him backwards, and his voice was calm. "Red and silver are my opponents- not yours," Deker's voice suddenly turned venomous, and both Brooke and Jayden got ready to lunge. "Please leave."

"And what if I don't want to?!" The Scottish nighlok spat, and with that, the battle began.

Brooke and Jayden fell into their usual routine again. The two rangers rolling out of the way of the two nighlok's attacks, Brooke turning her attention to Deker. Her dual katanas clanged against his one, and Brooke felt Jayden beside her, him having blocked the Scottish nighlok's blade with his spin-sword.

"It's showtime, Red," Brooke muttered, and Jayden nodded, the two rangers sprinting off in different directions.

Brooke felt her bad ankle start to throb as she half ran away and half fought Deker. That fact in itself caused the silver ranger to inwardly groan because these things always seemed to have the worst timing. Still, she fought through the pain, slashing at Deker, and gathering enough strength to kick him back again. Brooke knew that she was running off of pure adrenaline at this point, and she spared a glance at Jayden. He seemed to be doing alright- the blade of his spin-sword being on fire, so everything was somewhat normal at his end. That was relieving, at least. Returning her attention to Deker, Brooke blocked his swing with one katana and performed an uppercut with the other, sparks flying where the silver blade made contact with the nighlok.

Deker seemed taken aback, but soon regained his composure. "Well done, silver ranger. We're not so different, you and I." The nighlok congratulated, and Brooke jumped over his low swing. When she landed, Brooke felt her ankle shift out of place, and Deker saw his opportunity. With a carefully aimed swing to Brooke's ankle, he sent the silver ranger to the ground, who demorphed and let out a yell of pain that almost sounded like a howl as she landed in the dirt.

As the Scottish nighlok dried out, Jayden felt his blood run cold at Brooke's yell. He turned his attention to the silver ranger, and Jayden went onto autopilot. Tightening his grip on his spin-sword, the red ranger broke into a sprint, feeling his warning call die in his throat as Deker swung for Brooke's neck.

Brooke raised her kunai just in the nick of time, her arms shaking from the kickback of Deker's blade colliding with the weapon. "Oh, we're incredibly different," Brooke spat, lips curling around her canines and eyes pure gold. Bringing a clawed hand up to the wolf disk on her kunai, she spun the disk quickly. As the blade glowed silver, Brooke screamed out the attack. _"Lone Wolf!"_ With what little strength she had left, Brooke forced herself to her feet and slashed Deker in the chest, which sent the nighlok staggering back with a noise of surprise.

Brooke felt the adrenaline leave her body after that, and she staggered backwards, losing grip of the Wolf Kunai. The weapon fell to the ground and disappeared in a flurry of silver particles, and so did her katanas. While she just accepted she was just going to make contact with the ground, Brooke surprisingly didn't. Instead, Jayden caught her before she could fall, the red ranger offering himself as support.

"While you did provide a strong counterattack, that was too easy," Deker stated matter-of-factly, and Jayden narrowed his eyes underneath his red helmet, holding his spin-sword in front of himself and Brooke protectively. "This isn't the battle I want, and it's clear that Rabtish's double slash took too much out of you both. Uramasa won't be satisfied unless you two are at your peaks, but next time, you will taste his slash." Deker threatened, and Brooke choked out a warning.

"We gotta move." Brooke hissed out in pain, ignoring the spots decorating her vision. Jayden nodded, taking Brooke's hand with his gloved one and running to the side as Deker swung.

The nighlok's swing cut a large rock cleanly in half horizontally, the top half crashing to the ground. "Now go, you two will need to be at full strength to even have a chance against me." Deker challenged, leaping to the top of the incline. In a flash of purple, the nighlok changed forms, revealing a man with black hair and a beard. "You two will satisfy my hunger, a hunger that I've had for centuries. So for now I leave you two be until you two are again at your best, and then we will duel."

Brooke didn't comprehend much, as the energy left her body once again. Her bad ankle gave out, and she cursed under her breath as she lost her balance. Before she could hit the ground though, Jayden pulled her close to his chest, Brooke staring at his red helmet with unfocused eyes, her features having returned to normal.

Jayden demorphed and tried to mask the worry on his face. "I've got you, it's alright." He murmured to Brooke, and she only nodded, closing her eyes and seemingly falling asleep. Or losing consciousness, Jayden couldn't tell.

Brushing some of Brooke's hair out of her face, Jayden sat on the ground, somewhat cradling Brooke against his chest. He heard Mike calling Ji- that was good. Jayden didn't know if he had the mental strength to do that. His blue eyes scanned Brooke's face, which was crusted with dirt and some blood from a bloody nose. The picture made Jayden's heart hurt, and he didn't know why.

"I'm sorry." Jayden choked out, his voice barely above a whisper as he turned his attention to the other members of his team.

Emily and Kevin were down for the count, and Mia was comforting the yellow ranger to the best of her abilities while Mike was on the phone with Ji. Jayden realized that this was his fault- his team had gotten hurt because of him. The guilt came crashing down, and the red ranger couldn't lock those feelings away, no matter how much he tried. _And he wanted to._

* * *

The rest of the night passed in a blur for Jayden, he remembered getting told that Brooke and the others were okay- just beat up. But it didn't lessen the guilt he felt. In fact, him being the only one relatively unscathed made things worse. So, Jayden made a snap decision, planning to return to his room and get ready to leave. However, he was surprised to hear a faint voice.

"Red?" Brooke's voice was groggy, and she rubbed her eyes. "Everythin' okay?"

Jayden saw the bruises starting to decorate her arms and legs, frowning. "You should be in the med bay." He didn't answer her question directly, and Brooke only limped forward, wrapping him into a tight hug. Brooke's fluffy black hair tickled Jayden's face as she buried her face into the crook of his neck. Jayden didn't know if she knew what he was thinking about, or just wanted a hug, but he nearly cried.

Jayden's emotions were too haywire for his liking, and Brooke holding him like she didn't want to let go was the one good thing he's felt all day. He offered a weak smile to the silver ranger, who blinked at him owlishly, and Jayden realized that the pain meds were probably making her out of it. Still, it was Brooke, and Jayden would take it.

Loosely intertwining his fingers with hers, Jayden led Brooke in the direction of her room. "Let's get you to bed, you need the rest." He spoke softly, and Brooke nodded.

"Was goin' to get your hoodie anyway." Brooke declared with a tired voice, and a ghost of a smile appeared on Jayden's lips. It was a little bit of a struggle, but eventually, Brooke was in bed, Jayden kneeling at her bedside.

"I'm sorry," Jayden whispered, and the blankets shifted, Brooke turning her unfocused gaze to where she guessed the red ranger was.

She couldn't process much, as Ji had given her pain meds and meds to help her sleep- and Brooke noticed that they weren't mixing that well. "For what?" Brooke sleepily replied, furrowing her brows. "We're alive." She tried to sound convincing, but her voice slurred somewhat.

Jayden could only form a weak smile, and he waited for the silver ranger to fall asleep, which didn't take long, before speaking again. "Goodnight, Brooke, sleep well." Jayden murmured, gently cupping her face in his hands and pressing a faint kiss to her forehead.

With that, Jayden shut Brooke's door behind him as he stepped out into the hall, returning to his original plan. After shrugging on his jacket and packing his satchel, Jayden made his way out of the Shiba House. As he walked through the wooden gates, the red ranger turned his gaze to the sky, noticing the full moon that was shining bright.

He wasn't worth the lives of others- not him. _I'm too much of a hazard,_ Jayden thought, turning his attention away from the full moon. _I don't hold the most weight on his shoulders._ Gravel crunching underneath his footsteps, the red ranger made his way to the streets of Panorama.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a/n: first off, I wanted to say sorry for no update on Wednesday! I just finished up school for the year and this chapter is pretty heavy. I didn't want it to seem rushed.
> 
> Second, the cage symbol. Rewatching the show, I found it kind of odd that Jayden's (and Lauren's) father used the sealing symbol and it didn't work fully. While it might've been because he was weakened, I just wanted to change it. It also explains why Brooke had to undergo the experimentation to become the silver ranger and a shifter- saving the world is her job. It might seem kind of Mary Sue-ish, but I also pictured it as a driving point for Brooke to give her all, y'know? While protecting the people she cares about is her number one driving force, I wanted an outside factor.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the part, and hopefully, updates will be coming every Wednesday and Sunday again! Thanks for reading :)


	11. talks and peppermint coffee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jayden realizes that sleeping on a bench is the best idea he's ever had, and both the silver and red rangers have romantic feelings that they don't act on.

It was early morning when Brooke woke up with a start, panting. It was another nightmare- but a normal one, not the pain-filled ones. Frankly, the silver ranger had to backtrack on how she even ended up in bed. All Brooke remembered was fighting Deker and then Jayden holding her with an expression of worry and guilt on his face. That was concerning, but it's not like she could do anything now. The battle was long over, and since she felt like _shit,_ Brooke concluded that it didn't end well.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Brooke ran a clawed hand over her face. The aching in her body meant that she was bruised, but nothing seemed broken. Her ankle was set back in place, and while it hurt, it felt better than it did. Grabbing her phone, Brooke turned on the device, nearly screaming in frustration at the time. It was nearly 5:30, and far too early to do much of anything. Instead of screaming, Brooke just flung her pillow across the room, hearing it hit her door with a _thump_. She just wanted a normal sleep, for once in her life, and while the sleep meds made her groggy, they didn't do much of anything else.

Coming up with a game plan, Brooke kicked off her white comforter and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Gingerly standing on her weak ankle, she limped over to her bathroom and flicked on the light. Squinting at the sudden brightness, Brooke cursed under her breath when she noticed the collection of blue and dark purple bruises that were scattered across her legs. Pulling off Jayden's hoodie, she saw similar bruises on her arms, and it caused the silver ranger to run a clawed hand over her face, letting out a quiet groan of frustration. That meant the battle _definitely_ didn't go well. Brooke knew that Kevin and Emily were probably in the med bay, but she didn't know about Mike, Mia, or Jayden. From what she remembered, they seemed fine, so half of the rangers were doing alright.

Brooke unsteadily made her way to her dresser, getting dressed for the day. Pulling on a dark grey sweater, jeans, and her leather jacket, the silver ranger laced up her doc martens, brushing the knots out of her hair. After brushing her teeth, Brooke grabbed her samuraizer, zord, and phone, shoving the objects into her pocket. Leaving a note for Ji that told the older man that she was going to Mary's, Brooke left her room.

Peering down the hall, Brooke noticed that Jayden's door was ajar, but didn't really question it. Her usual method of walking silently didn't really work, as her ankle throbbed, but the silver ranger reached the main doors quickly. Pushing open the heavy wooden doors, Brooke started her walk to Little Cloaks.

It was quite chilly, and the sun was just rising as Brooke walked through the wooden gates, gravel crunching underfoot. As she truly woke up, the pain in her ankle subsided somewhat, it turning into a dull throb rather than feeling like it was being stabbed repeatedly. The streets of Panorama were coming alive as well, business workers and other workers making their commutes to their jobs. It was a sense of normalcy Brooke was envious of- the people didn't know the war the rangers were fighting. They just went about their daily lives, not having to worry about nighlok attacking or Xandred flooding the Earth, and Brooke wished she could do that.

Well, it was a give and take. While she craved normalcy, Brooke knew that without her being a ranger, she probably would've never met Jayden or the others. Plus, she actually _enjoyed_ being a ranger, it was just incredibly stressful most of the time. At least she wasn't alone.

A gust of wind caused Brooke to pull her leather jacket closer to her body, and the silver ranger scanned the streets in front of her. Grey eyes flashed gold when she saw a familiar face- it was Jayden, sitting on one of the benches near the plaza. He looked like he hadn't slept much, and Brooke frowned. _Was he out here all night?_ That was worrying, but Brooke knew from experience that he probably wanted to be left alone. So, she took extra time to stay out of his range of sight, eyeing his satchel out of the corner of her eye. So, he did stay out all night. Which wasn't the smartest move, but Brooke understood why. Well- she pieced it together.

Looping around to the backside of Little Cloaks, Brooke took the rickety staircase that led to the second story slowly. Her ankle throbbed in tune with the beating of her heart- but she pushed that aside. Reaching the landing, Brooke raised her fist to the door and knocked.

 _Rap, rap, rap._ The wooden door quickly opened, and Mary's green eyes widened slightly when she saw Brooke standing at the door. The silver ranger only smiled weakly- and Mary noticed her niece's tired expression.

"Brooke, what're you doing here?" Mary questioned, her voice filled with concern as Brooke walked into the apartment. "Shouldn't you be asleep? Or at least at the Shiba House?"

Brooke shrugged off her leather jacket and hung it on the hook near the door. "I probably should, but I can't really sleep, and I didn't feel like dealing with the others right now." The silver ranger replied, sitting on the couch that was in the main room of the apartment, Mary shadowing her.

"Dealing with the others?" Mary echoed, taking a seat on the ottoman near the couch, pushing some of her light brown hair out of her face.

Brooke nodded, laughing weakly. "A lotta shit came up, and the team's- they're looking at Red and I like we're martyrs of some sort. I think Red left last night honestly," She explained, playing with the edge of the tassel throw blanket that was on the couch. Just the smell of the apartment was comforting, and Brooke felt some of the tension leave her body with the smell of cinnamon. "Battle went south yesterday, and it's become a clusterfuck."

"I understand you coming here, but you should at least sleep, Brooke. You can't function on little sleep- and it seems like Jayden's not a good example right now." Mary chided, and Brooke shot her aunt an exasperated look.

"I'm trying, Mary, it's just been _hard._ I've been having these weird dreams, I wake up in pain. It's hard to sleep when that comes up, and-" Brooke hesitated, deciding to leave the part out that she usually only felt safe enough to sleep in Jayden's arms. That wasn't important. "It's- it's just _exhausting_. All of it. I know it's important, but I'm tired." The silver ranger confessed, eyes flashing and claws growing in. Talking about her feelings wasn't really her go-to, but Brooke knew that she at least had to let some of it out. The weight on her shoulders seemed to be getting heavier every day- with the looming threat of Deker, the cage symbol, and whatever nighlok that appeared, it was almost unbearable at some points.

Mary knit her brows, looking at Brooke quizzically. "Pain? What kind of pain?" The older woman asked, and Brooke ran a clawed hand over her face.

"It's like it's in my bloodstream- hey, why do you look so scared?" Brooke cut herself off, noticing how Mary had paled slightly. Before her aunt could reply with "it's nothing", Brooke spoke again, her eyes landing on a mixture of grey and gold. "Mary, is there something you're not telling me? You look like I've said something horrible." She questioned, crossing her leg over her knee.

"Brooke, it's not important- Trust me," Mary pleaded when Brooke gave her a deadpan expression. "You're fine. Continue." The older woman urged, and Brooke pursed her lips slightly, raising her brows. Mary knew that expression, it was when Brooke knew somebody was lying, the silver ranger silently calling bullshit.

Still, Brooke knew that she wasn't going to get a straight answer, and that was frustrating. So, she just switched topics. "I think- this is gonna sound fucking stupid as hell given my current situation, but I, uh, have feelings for Red?" Brooke confessed, her voice rising in pitch as she cringed at the words coming from her mouth. Still, Brooke also knew she needed to talk to someone about _that_ , as she realized that Jayden was now a consistent presence in her life, and she wanted him around constantly. It was… strange, and Brooke didn't want to go to Mia and Emily about it, because while she cared about the two rangers deeply, she knew that they would probably set up some weird matchmaking thing. And Casper, Brooke made sure not to talk about her romantic feelings towards anyone with him, because she felt like it was a kind of insignificant thing. So, Mary was all the silver ranger had.

Mary just stared at her niece, dumbfounded. Oh, Jane was rolling in her grave- the older woman knew that much. Still, she knew Brooke's adoration for the red ranger, and the way she talked about him was different from how she talked about the others. From what she remembered of Jayden, eleven-year-old Jayden that Mary had only met when she picked Brooke up from the Shiba House, he seemed to hold the same adoration. At least that's what Mary concluded by the way Jayden was holding onto Brooke's hand like a lifeline and crying. If he held those feelings now- well, it would make sense. Mary knew Brooke, and her constant need for comfort, even if the silver ranger tried not to show it. That was just who Brooke was, and it was due to a lack of affection when she grew up. If Jayden provided that comfort, Mary knew that her niece would latch onto him.

Noticing Mary just staring at her, Brooke raised her hands in defeat, letting out a nervous laugh. "Listen, I'm not acting on them or anything, but-"

"Acting on what?" Maxx asked, rubbing his eyes as he walked out of his room, letting out a yawn. "Brooke, are you being stupid again?" The fifteen-year-old snickered at the glare his sister gave her, Brooke standing up from her seat.

"It's nothing. Shouldn't you be getting ready for school?" Brooke changed the subject again, glancing at her brother's messy hair and pajamas.

Maxx let out another yawn, padding into the kitchen. "Relax, I'm not on your bullshit samurai schedule. I've technically got," Light green eyes flickered to the microwave clock. It read _6:16_ , and Maxx turned his attention back to his sister, who had walked into the kitchen. "An hour fifteen." He answered. "Shouldn't you be training or whatever?"

"Training doesn't technically start until eight- and I doubt it's gonna happen this morning since we got our asses kicked yesterday," Brooke answered, ignoring her brother's smart remark of "way to go". "Do you want me to drive you to school?" The silver ranger asked, reaching to grab a box of cereal out of the cabinet.

Maxx nodded, letting out a sigh of relief. "Thank _fuck_ , because I didn't feel like walking today." He responded, grabbing the cereal box before Brooke could, pretending to be hurt when she swatted him lightly in the back of the head.

"Hey you two, I'm going to open the café, let me know if you need anything," Mary told the Wolfe siblings, who nodded in sync. It was a routine, but it didn't happen as frequently now since Brooke lived at the Shiba House.

Brooke noticed her aunt's light green eyes baring into her soul, and let out a quiet sigh. "Right. Thanks, Mary." She replied, ignoring the older woman's silent questioning and focusing on making her breakfast. Which was cereal, but still.

When Mary walked off, Maxx raised his eyebrows at Brooke. "What was that about? Also, _why are you here_?" He asked, and Brooke laughed faintly.

Leaning against the counter with her bowl of cereal, Brooke sighed. "Samurai bullshit, per usual. It's not getting easier." She replied, and Maxx pointed his spoon at the silver ranger as he chewed his cereal.

"Are you a war criminal?" Maxx asked, and Brooke choked on her cereal.

Setting her bowl on the counter, Brooke coughed, which turned into laughter. "Not yet, but maybe soon. I dunno if being a ranger violates the Geneva Convention." She laughed, and Maxx frowned.

"Damn, imagine if I could write about how my sister's a war criminal. You think it would get me a good grade?" Maxx wondered jokingly, and Brooke rolled her eyes, shaking her head.

She had missed Maxx, and while she would never admit it to her little brother, but, he was fun to have around. Brooke couldn't remember the last time they had a conversation like this one. It was before she joined the team- so months ago at this point. Which was incredibly depressing, but Brooke knew what sacrifices she had to make.

* * *

Jayden let out a tired sigh, trying to ignore his weariness as he aimlessly roamed around Panorama. He had slept, very little, on a bench, and that was not the call. Well, this whole thing wasn't the call, and Jayden really wanted a nap. He didn't have a plan for leaving, he had just left, and the red ranger was kind of wishing he didn't. But, he didn't really want to deal with the team's sympathetic expressions, so he just wished he could walk in, take a nap, and walk out again. Maybe see Brooke. That would be decent, and Jayden really wished that could be a reality. But sadly, it couldn't happen. So, he just dealt with his exhaustion and pushed the thoughts of the silver ranger out of his head.

Jayden knew he had to deal with those feelings someday, but that day was not today. So, he just locked them away. It was much easier than facing the problem head-on, and the red ranger realized that was what he was doing now, and let out a groan of annoyance. He needed a distraction, something other than walking because he's been doing that for the past hour and it wasn't really working.

Jayden sat on a bench near the playground, rubbing his eyes. _God, he was never sleeping on a bench again._ His body ached from him hitting the ground and the nighlok's attacks yesterday, and the bench didn't help. In fact, it made things worse. However, his mild annoyance turned to concern when he heard crying.

Spying a young boy sitting on the bench alone, Jayden knit his brows, standing from his seat and walking over towards the kid. "What's wrong, buddy?" He asked, his voice soothing as he kneeled down so he was at the kid's height.

"My daddy… he-he went away for a job, and I miss him." The little boy confessed, and Jayden felt his heart hurt.

"Yeah, I know how you feel," Jayden spoke softly. "I miss my dad too," While his father wasn't the _dad of the year_ sometimes, Jayden still missed him. The memory of seeing his father for the last time played in his mind, and it was _depressing_. Snapping out of that memory, Jayden smiled faintly at the boy. "Wanna see a magic trick?" He asked. When the little boy nodded, Jayden moved to sit on the edge of the bench, flipping open his samuraizer.

Brooke watched Jayden, a bittersweet smile on her face, clutching a to-go cup of coffee in her hand. Gold eyes were hidden behind silver aviator sunglasses, and the silver ranger tore her attention away from the red. Maybe she should just pretend her feelings towards Jayden just didn't exist, just keep being friends with him- nothing more. That could work. Brooke didn't even mean to find him, after dropping Maxx off at Panorama High and parking her car at Mary's, she just got a coffee and started walking. She was planning to sit on the edge of the beach, actually, but Jayden's red flannel was easy to spot amongst the crowd.

Seeing the red paper airplane soar through the air, Brooke let out a sigh and walked towards the red ranger, silently. "Have room for one more?" She asked softly, laughing quietly when Jayden jumped in surprise, blue eyes landing on Brooke.

"Brooke." Jayden breathed out, and he watched as the silver ranger raised a brow, eyes hidden behind sunglasses.

"I mean, I understand if you want to be alone," Brooke chalked on, taking off her sunglasses and placing them on the top of her head. "But I figured you might just want someone around." Chewing her bottom lip, she scanned Jayden's expression. He didn't seem angry, which was good. In fact, he seemed rather… _happy?_

Jayden nodded, smiling faintly. "Yeah, I would like that- having you around, I mean," He answered, and Brooke smiled, standing next to him. "Is that coffee?" Jayden asked, eyeing the to-go cup.

"Yeah, you want it?" Brooke asked, holding out the cup. Jayden nodded, and with a quiet "thanks", he took the cup out of her hands. "Just be careful it's-" She was cut off by Jayden coughing after he took a large sip, and Brooke held in her laughter. "Peppermint."

"I can tell that now," Jayden remarked with a cough. "It's not bad, just wasn't what I was expecting." He commented. The coffee had burnt his throat at first, but now it was nice. And it did wake him up fully, which was also good.

"Sorry, Red," Brooke teased, grinning at the red ranger. "I tried to warn you." She teased, and Jayden rolled his eyes, a smile growing on his face.

After a couple moments of comfortable silence, Jayden turned his attention away from the playground and to Brooke. "You're not going to question me?" He wondered, and Brooke furrowed her brows, shaking her head.

"Usually, running away is my thing, and being questioned is not fun. Especially after you've just been found," Brooke shrugged, and her gaze didn't waver from the playground, where children were now playing. "I wouldn't do that to you."

Jayden loosely held her hand with his free hand, taking a sip of the peppermint coffee. "Thank you." He murmured, feeling as Brooke rubbed small circles on the back of his hand with her thumb.

"Don't sweat it. That's what friends are for. Anything you wanna talk about?" Brooke replied, and Jayden turned his gaze to the playground.

"What were you doing? It didn't seem like you were looking for me." Jayden wondered, and Brooke laughed faintly.

"I was with Maxx and Mary, I've been up since around five-thirty. Drove Maxx to school, now I'm here," Brooke answered, and she knit her brows at Jayden's confused expression. "What is it?"

"You can drive?" Jayden asked, and Brooke laughed- a sound the red ranger enjoyed.

Raising her eyebrows, Brooke broke into a grin. "Yeah, I can. I'll take you somewhere one day if you want. Maybe after this war's over- I'll show you what's outside Panorama." She murmured, her grin turning into a much softer smile.

Jayden returned her smile, lightly squeezing the silver ranger's hand, who returned the action. "I would like that," _I would like to stay with you._ He commented, and Brooke hummed in response. A couple moments of silence passed, and the two rangers watched as kids played on the playground. "Things should stay this way."

"Oh?" Brooke replied, raising her brows, and Jayden nodded.

"No monsters, no worries, just kids having fun." _Just you and me. Jayden_ explained, and Brooke broke into a smile, but it quickly fell when the smell of rotten milk and death assaulted the silver ranger's senses. Letting go of Jayden's hand, Brooke took her sunglasses off of her head and shoved them into a pocket of her leather jacket. Jayden looked at the silver ranger, concerned, but then heard the screams.

The two rangers nodded at each other, Brooke feeling her claws grow in as she hopped into battle. Luckily, moogers were pretty easy to deal with, even weaponless. Her claws also made good weapons, sparks flying whenever Brooke slashed a nighlok. The silver and red rangers hit down moogers, the pair making quick work of the creatures. Jayden kicked a mooger in Brooke's direction, and she slashed it down with her claws. Sweeping out a foot, Brooke knocked multiple moogers' legs out from underneath them and onto their backs.

Scanning the area, grey eyes widened and flashed gold when Brooke's gaze landed on the nighlok from yesterday. That was concerning, but what was more concerning was the little boy tugging at the red paper airplane that was underneath Rabtish's foot. "Red, keep 'em busy!" Brooke called over her shoulder, shifting. She knew about the people in the area but didn't _care._

"Stay safe!" Jayden replied, and he heard the brown wolf bark in response. Fighting without his sword wasn't ideal, but they had to keep their identities somewhat secret. That meant getting the kids out of the area before doing anything that involved their weapons.

Wolf-Brooke picked up her pace when she saw the little boy looking at Rabtish with fear in his eyes. "Aw, is that for me?" Rabtish snickered, holding out a hand, and Brooke lunged.

The brown wolf's claws made contact with the nighlok, and she used her full weight to knock the creature down. Shifting back, Brooke willed away her inhumane features and offered a reassuring smile at the kid. "I've got you, it's gonna be okay." She soothed the boy, who looked on the verge of tears. Picking the boy up and holding him tightly to her side, the silver ranger landed a hard kick to a mooger's side, the monster falling to the ground with a squeal. Ducking under another mooger's swing, Brooke willed her claws in and slashed at the creature, sparks flying.

Jayden was at Brooke's side, covering her as she urged the kids and the women watching over them to run. "How're you holding up?" He panted out, as Brooke cut down another mooger with her claws.

"Alive," Brooke grunted in response. Truthfully, her body was starting to ache again, and her ankle was screaming in protest at all the moving she was doing. But Brooke didn't let Jayden know that, she just grit her teeth and fought through it. "Don't like the big baddie here, though." She confessed, and Jayden let out a breathless laugh.

"Yeah, me either." Jayden agreed, and the two rangers faced Rabtish, their expressions hardening.

"We meet again, too bad Deker isn't here to save you this time!" Rabtish sneered, and the silver and red rangers tensed, getting ready to attack.

Brooke cleared her mind and focused on the battle at hand. Jayden was next to her, that was good. _That was always good._ "Don't want him saving me anyways. Let's end this, Red!" She yelled as Rabtish commanded moogers to rush the two rangers.

_"Spin Sword!"_

_"Wolf Kunai!"_

The two ranger's respective weapons appeared in their hands in flashes of red and silver. The battle got much easier, and Brooke enjoyed having the familiar blade in her hand. Her katanas also appeared on her back, and after a couple of moments, she sheathed her Wolf Kunai and drew the blades, kicking a mooger back and cutting it down. Brooke's attention snapped to Jayden, and she watched as the red ranger landed on his back. Somersaulting over a mooger's attack, she blocked one monster's swing with one katana and cut it down with the other.

When she reached Jayden, Brooke grinned. "Thought I was supposed to be the damsel in distress?" She teased, snickering when Jayden shot her a glare. Still, Brooke sheathed one of her blades into the holster on her back, willing away her claws and offering a hand.

"You're insufferable sometimes," Jayden replied, taking Brooke's hand and rising to his feet. Quickly grabbing his spin-sword off the ground, the two rangers slashed through moogers.

Brooke snorted. "Mhm, sure. Sounds kinda fake, but okay, Red. Whatever you say," She fired back, and Jayden rolled his eyes as he and Brooke slashed through more moogers. "This is starting to get overwhelming-"

Kevin's yell cut the silver ranger off. "Brooke! Jayden!" The blue ranger greeted, summoning his spin-sword and jumping into the fray when the weapon appeared in a flash of blue.

The rest of the team appeared as well, their spin-swords appearing in flashes of their respective colors, the four quickly making work on the moogers. "This a private game, or can anyone play?" Mike snickered as he landed strong strikes and cut moogers down.

"We're all in this together," Mia yelled over the sounds of battle, blocking a mooger's attack and then returning with her own. "Forever!"

"Your mission is ours!" Emily agreed, the yellow ranger cutting down moogers easily.

"Yeah, we won't let you do this alone!" Kevin declared, and Brooke shifted her gaze to Jayden, smiling faintly.

Twirling, Brooke cut down multiple moogers. "You should know where I stand, but I've got your back. I always will." She reassured Jayden, and the silver and red rangers fought side-by-side.

Jayden felt the corners of his lips twitch. "Never doubted you," He remarked, and Brooke hummed in response, performing an uppercut on a mooger that got too close to the pair. "I don't like putting you guys in danger, but someone has to stop the nighlok," Jayden declared, and the six lined up into their usual line, flipping open their samuraizers. "And I'm glad it's us!"

_"Samuraizer: Go Go Samurai!"_

The six drew their symbols and their suits materialized onto their bodies. Facing the small army of moogers, they spun their zord disks, their blades lighting up their respective colors, calling out the attacks as they slashed.

_"Quintuple Slash!"_

_"Full Pack!"_

The six multicolored attacks hit the moogers and caused them to explode, Brooke's eyes flashing underneath her helmet. "Well, that's a _giant_ act of cowardice," Brooke muttered, spying Rabtish as it ran. Sheathing her kunai, the silver ranger shifted, the brown wolf sprinting off in the direction the nighlok went, the team shadowing her.

* * *

The six rangers cornered Rabtish in a parking garage, Brooke shifting back and drawing her katanas. "Following me here wasn't wise!" Rabtish threatened, rushing the rangers.

Brooke was glad that the nighlok seemed to forget that the double slash move existed because she absolutely _detested it._ Speaking of, the adrenaline was starting to wear off, her bruises were starting to hurt again and her ankle throbbed. But, the battle went on, and Rabtish was a much easier enemy now, which was nice. Each member of the team landed a couple of attacks on the nighlok, then regrouping and readying their blades once again.

"Together, we can deal with anything you throw at us!" Jayden taunted and led the charge when Rabtish rushed the team again. "He'll start with a shock wave, and then his slash attack. After that, I have a surprise for him," He spoke, turning his attention to Brooke. "I need the tiger disk."

"Ah, another slow attack, my pleasure, Red." Brooke teased, handing Jayden the white disk, giving the red ranger a comforting pat on the shoulder. She stood beside Jayden, flipping open her samuraizer and calming her nerves. Mia and Emily had blocked most of the shockwave but still stumbled back from the force.

Kevin noticed the silver ranger step forward confidently, her open samuraizer clutched tightly in a gloved hand. "Brooke, you can't take a hit like that!" The blue ranger warned, and Brooke snorted.

"Bold of you to assume I'm getting hit. Bastard's done enough as it is. _Protection!"_ Brooke screamed out the symbol's name, skidding backwards some as the slash attack came in contact with the kanji.

Still, the symbol did its job, and Jayden readied his Fire Smasher. "Say hello to my Fire Smasher! _Six Disk Tiger Cannon!"_ All five original disks, plus the wolf disk, made their way into the cannon, lining up neatly. However, before he fired, Jayden turned his attention to Brooke, holding out his Fire Smasher slightly. "Want to help fire it?" He asked, and Brooke grinned underneath her helmet.

"I would love to," Brooke replied, her and Jayden standing shoulder to shoulder. It was heavier than she expected it to be, but with Jayden's help, Brooke kept it trained on the nighlok. _"Strike!"_ She yelled, locking her arms to help with the kickback of the large blast.

The six multicolored attacks formed the figure of a tiger for a moment, the tiger then lunging at Rabtish. The tiger making contact with the nighlok sent the monster hurtling back with an explosion. Rabtish slammed through multiple concrete pillars that the parking garage offered, then hitting the ground and dying in a large explosion, Brooke letting out a quiet cheer at the sight.

Jayden heard the silver ranger, glancing at her and smiling fondly. _That was cute._ "Everyone doing alright?" Jayden called out to his team, lowering his Fire Smasher.

"Never been better!" Mike replied, and the rest of the team added their positive responses, then going into megamode power as Rabtish appeared in his second form.

As the original five formed the samurai megazord, Brooke came up with a game plan as her wolf zord bounced around, wagging its metal tail. While she wanted to rush Rabtish, that probably wouldn't end well. So, she didn't, and just held back a teasing remark about the five others being slow. Which they _were_ , Brooke was just kind of waiting, her zord hopping around some.

When they formed the samurai megazord, Rabtish pointed its blade at the combined zords. "Think I'm scared of ya now? _Flying moogers_!" The nighlok commanded, and the space between the buildings glowed red. Moogers with wings appeared, and Brooke let out a groan as the others made noises of disbelief. She was tired, and that was annoying. But, it could be dealt with.

The flying moogers fired blasts at the samurai megazord, the robot shaking from the impact. Before Rabtish could follow up with an attack, the wolf zord lunged, knocking the nighlok aside, Brooke narrowing her eyes, which turned a pure gold. "Eat shit! _Howl!"_ The silver ranger yelled, pointing forward and firing off the attack. It hit Rabtish, and Brooke grit her teeth when the flying moogers turned their attention to her and her wolf zord. Still, she bounced around, dodging most of the attacks and then regrouping with the megazord.

"Havin' a bit of trouble?" Rabtish sneered, but the rangers ignored him.

"Mike, Kevin, should we use the battlewing?" Brooke asked through the comms, summoning the white disk. "It's our best bet right now against the flying ones."

"I have an even better idea!" Kevin declared, pride evident in his tone. "We should combine the samurai battlewing with the megazord!"

Brooke quirked a brow at that but followed Kevin's instructions. First, she, Mike, and Kevin formed the samurai battlewing. Then, using an airstrike combination, the silver ranger found herself in-between Mike and Jayden in the cockpit of the main megazord, the battlewing on the robot's back. The wolf zord barked at the main megazord, and Brooke silently commanded her zord to stay back. It complied, and then the battle began. The samurai megazord flew through the air, slashing down flying moogers. There was only one left after a couple of moments, and the team went to go attack it, but the wolf zord beat them to it.

The mechanical wolf leapt through the air, tackling the flying mooger and sending it crashing to the ground. With a quick slash from the robot's claws, the flying mooger was killed, it's owner cheering. " _Hell yeah, that's my zord!_ Good job, boy!" Brooke praised, and the wolf zord bounced around, barking happily and wagging its metal tail.

Jayden laughed faintly at the silver ranger, who now seemed fired up by her zord's actions. "Looks like we saved the worst for last! Follow my lead!" Jayden urged, the samurai megazord soaring through the skies once again. The six rangers unfolded their megablades, the megazord raising its sword over its head.

 _"Flying Slash: Megaspin Katana Strike!"_ The six yelled in unison, spinning the disks on their control panels. _"Final Strike!"_ The team slashed with their megablades, and so did the samurai megazord. The attack successfully killed Rabtish, who exploded in a flurry of sparks.

As the cockpit of the megazord filled with cheers, the megazord and wolf zord struck their victory poses. _"Samurai Rangers: Victory is Ours,"_ Jayden called out, and with that, the battle was finally over, the team making their way back to the Shiba House.

* * *

The team jogged through the gates leading to the Shiba House, Ji perking up instantly at the sound of gravel crunching underfoot. "Jayden!" Ji greeted happily, a wide smile on his face.

"Ji," Jayden returned Ji's greeting with a handshake. "I'm sorry I left." He apologized, but Ji shook his head with a smile.

"Don't worry about it, you're back, and that's what matters," Ji remarked with a smile, scanning the team. "Good work today, you guys deserve some fun. Anything you want." The team instantly perked up, deciding on a movie.

And that's what they did, Brooke found herself sitting in a movie theater for the first time in a couple of years. The exhaustion set in, but that was fine. Glancing at Jayden, who was sitting beside her, she noticed that he looked the way she felt- utterly exhausted.

"Sleeping on a bench get to ya?" Brooke joked, laughing at Jayden's playful glare. "C'mere," The armrests of the seats in the theater flipped up, and Brooke was grateful for that. Flipping the armrest up, she set her bucket of popcorn on the floor for a moment and holding out an arm. Jayden raised a brow but moved closer to Brooke, the silver ranger instantly wrapping her arm around his shoulders. "You can lay your head on my shoulder if you want." She murmured, feeling heat rise to her face.

Jayden did so, wrapping his arms around Brooke's waist. The smell of coffee and cinnamon caused a sense of peace to wash over the red ranger. "Thank you, Brooke." He yawned, too tired to even feel flustered. Jayden enjoyed being this close to Brooke, and just basked in the peace of it all.

Brooke looked down at Jayden, breaking into the happiest smile she's ever worn. "Of course, Red. It's the least I can do, you've put yourself through hell and back." She murmured, turning her attention to the large screen, wincing slightly at the volume as the previews started. Brooke now remembered why she didn't go to the movies, it was almost too overwhelming for her senses. But, she would gladly put up with it if that meant that she could have Jayden rest his head on her shoulder.

"You're the best," Jayden mumbled sleepily, and Brooke felt her heart stop for a moment before going into overdrive.

Heat rose to her face, and the silver ranger was glad Jayden was half asleep and she was sitting at the end of the aisle. That was the first time anyone's said anything like _that_ to her, and Brooke was caught by surprise. She didn't even know how to answer, so she just didn't respond. Not that Jayden seemed to mind, he made himself comfortable on Brooke's shoulder, subconsciously tightening his hold around her waist slightly. Brooke smiled faintly at the action, and she realized- all plans to view Jayden just as a friend flew out of the window.

Well, kind of. Brooke knew she could play a game of denial with herself and pretend like she was just doing this to be friendly. That could work, and Brooke shoved aside any romantic feelings towards Jayden. Those could be dealt with another day, or not dealt with at all, and Brooke didn't know which option she liked. Shaking those thoughts out of her head, Brooke just let out a sigh.

"Everything okay?" Jayden asked sleepily, raising his head some. "You were doing that thing that you do when you're stressed- muttering to yourself." He remarked, and Brooke raised her eyebrows.

"I do? I didn't realize that. Sorry, Red." Brooke replied, and Jayden rested his head on Brooke's shoulder again.

"You do, it's cute," Jayden yawned, too tired to filter his words. "You're cute." He added, and the rational part of his brain told him to stop talking. However, the rational part of his brain was almost blocked out but the exhaustion, so he was just saying what came to mind.

Brooke froze, knowing her face was probably the color of Jayden's ranger suit at this point. _How the hell do you respond to that?_ The silver ranger wondered, and she tried to find a witty retort. However, she seemed to have nothing, so Brooke just gave up. Jayden was really out to make her flustered tonight, it seemed like. She found it somewhat endearing that sleepy Jayden was smoother than regular Jayden, but kept that thought to herself. Brooke just spared him a glance, Jayden's gaze was focused on the movie, but after a couple of moments, he closed his eyes.

Smiling fondly, Brooke turned her attention to the movie, feeling the heat of her cheeks subside as Jayden fell asleep. Maybe she'll tease him for it, maybe not. All Brooke really knew is that she wanted to stay in this moment as long as she could. The two weren't the red and silver rangers- they were just Jayden Shiba and Brooke Wolfe. And it was more than enough.


	12. red, silver, and gold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When a new gold ranger appears, Brooke realizes that she has yet another childhood friend she can't remember.

Bouncing on the balls of her feet, the silver ranger ignored the soreness of her muscles as she picked up her samuraizer. Leveling a glare at the cage symbol from where it was drawn in the archives, Brooke rooted her sneakered feet to the ground and started to draw the cage symbol. Well, a part of the cage symbol, as it was actually a string of kanji, consisting of 絶望の檻- which translated to despair, strength, and cage. Each symbol had to be mastered on their own before being used together, and Brooke had started with what she thought was the easiest one- cage.

However, it _wasn't_ easy. Still, Brooke knew she had to keep trying, gritting her teeth when she activated the symbol. It had done the same thing as it did before, which self-destructed in a flash of silver that sent the silver ranger tumbling to the floor. Luckily, the room Ji had offered for Brooke to use was rather large, so she hit the ground instead of the wall, but still.

She would've liked it more if she wasn't hitting the ground at all. Staggering to her feet, she picked up her samuraizer in a clawed hand. Eyes flashing gold with determination, Brooke let out a deep breath and slowly drew the symbol again. _She wouldn't let the team down._ Not like her mom did- Brooke was planning to see this war to the end, and finally stop Xandred's rain of torment for good. And if that meant that she had to hit the ground over and over again, _so be it._

 _"Cage!"_ Brooke yelled, activating the symbol and bracing herself for the impending kickback. It did happen, and the silver ranger was sent to the floor, despite her being prepared for the symbol's self-destruction.

Brooke's samuraizer fell out of her hand and skidded on the floor, it's owner looking at the device with an expression of annoyance. Brooke sat on her knees, shaking her hair free of its ponytail- which wasn't even a ponytail anymore, her hair was falling out of it. The silver ranger tied up her sweaty black hair again, rising to her feet and somewhat stumbling over to her samuraizer, picking the device up and walking back to the center of the room.

The cage symbol seemed to mock her from the archives, and Brooke silently cursed it with every word she could come up with. Still, _it needed to get done._ Shaking away her annoyance, Brooke let out a heavy sigh and started drawing the symbol again. She wouldn't let the team down- she _couldn't._ The silver kanji hung in the air, and Brooke didn't even bother with calling out the symbol as she activated it.

When the five other rangers heard the fifth thud in a span of a couple of minutes, they all shared concerned glances with each other. It didn't seem to be going well, as the thuds became more frequent as time went on.

Jayden lowered his training sword and stepped away from the dummy, as his usual training partner was tasked with hitting the ground, it seemed. Blue eyes were full of concern as he looked at Ji- worry etched on the red ranger's face. When Brooke had explained the cage symbol to the team, her body had held underlying stress and tension that Jayden didn't blame her for. Still, he tried talking to her, and the silver ranger just put on one of her usual grins and said that she was fine. This obviously wasn't the case, but Jayden didn't know how to press the silver ranger for answers like she did to him. So, he could only watch- well, _hear,_ as Brooke hit the ground again.

Emily made a move to go check up on Brooke, the yellow ranger walking towards the Shiba House. However, Ji raised a hand, stopping Emily in her tracks.

"Leave her be, it's a part of the process," Ji urged, and Jayden shot an exasperated look at his mentor, who responded with raised eyebrows. "It's what Brooke needs to do- it is the silver rangers' job. It's what they were _destined_ to do." He added, watching as Jayden let out a sigh.

"She's practicing the cage symbol, right?" Mia asked, stepping back from where she was sparring with Kevin. "I remember her telling us about it."

The team all cringed when they heard a thud, Mike looking at the Shiba House in concern as the five rangers heard Brooke's scream of frustration. "I feel bad, she's gettin' beat." The green ranger muttered.

Another thud was heard, and Jayden cringed. "All we can do is support Brooke- Ji's right. The cage symbol is her duty." The words felt dry in the red ranger's throat, and Jayden let out a heavy sigh, turning his attention back to the training dummy.

He disliked referring to Brooke just as a soldier, viewing her just for the cage symbol, and nothing more. Jayden knew the feeling all too well, and it was one he absolutely _hated_ , and far from the truth. The rednred ranger wanted nothing more to check if the silver ranger was doing alright, but knew it wasn't an option. So, he just shut his thoughts off, trying to imagine the thuds as background noise, that it wasn't his childhood friend and the girl he had feelings for hitting the ground repeatedly.

It worked, and Jayden performed his usual moves on the training dummy, his mouth set into a thin line. Another thud sounded, and the team just tried to go about their training like everything was fine. It wasn't, but it was the best the team could do.

* * *

Brooke had stopped counting the number of times she hit the ground at forty-five. This time, she ended up on her back, and she stared up at the ceiling, panting. The stress was mixing with the frustration, and it caused her canines and claws to grow in, her eyes settling on a color that was more gold than grey. With a grunt, Brooke sat up and pushed herself to her feet, walking over to her samuraizer.

The silver ranger felt sweaty and disgusting, and it made her want to scream and throw her samuraizer into the ocean and run away. But, Brooke knew she couldn't, so she grabbed the device and stood up on shaky legs, rooting her feet on the ground. " _Cage_!" She yelled, and in a flash of silver, she ended up on the floor again.

Jayden opened the door to the room she was practicing, taking in the sight of Brooke on the floor. She noticed the red ranger and offered him a weak smile as she staggered to her feet. "Heya, Red, comin' to watch me hit the ground again?" She joked, starting to draw the symbol and activating it once again. _"Cage!"_ And as quickly as she had drawn the symbol and activated it, Brooke found herself on her back on the floor again, but instead of staring at the ceiling, she was taking in Jayden's expression of worry.

"I think you've beat yourself up enough for today," Jayden advised, holding out a hand. Brooke took it, and he helped the silver ranger to her feet.

Brooke knew by Jayden's tone of voice that it was a command, and was too tired to argue. So, she just nodded, picking up her samuraizer and the archive and making her way to her room. _I won't let them down._ The silver ranger thought to herself as she threw the archive and her samuraizer on the bed, spinning on her heel to walk into the kitchen. She wasn't even hungry, but Brooke knew that both Ji and Jayden would have her head if she didn't eat something.

Stopping at the doorway, the silver ranger instantly perked up when she heard the others talking, stepping out of sight as she eavesdropped. "Man, she's dedicated, but almost _too_ dedicated. Should someone step in?" Mike asked, and Brooke frowned.

 _I don't need their help. I'm okay._ The silver ranger thought to herself, curling her hands into fists at her sides. She felt her claws cut into the meaty part of her hands slightly, but ignored it. In fact, the pain somewhat grounded her, and Brooke forced herself to release the tension in her body.

"Brooke can handle herself. All we can do is support her." Jayden answered, and he swore he saw her familiar grey-gold eyes peek around the corner. That made the corners of his lips twitch upward slightly- Brooke was still up to her regular antics.

Seeing that Jayden had figured her out, Brooke pushed herself off of the wall. "I'm okay guys, truly." She promised, silently walking into the kitchen and grabbing a water bottle from the fridge. Sitting at her usual seat next to Jayden, she resisted the urge to lay her head on the counter and just take a nap.

"If you say so," Mia responded hesitantly, eyeing the silver ranger with concern. "How's everything going?" She asked softly, and Brooke shrugged.

"It's going." The silver ranger replied nonchalantly, waving her hand in dismissal.

However the team knew the answer was a cop-out, and Jayden raised his eyebrows at Brooke, who shook her head. It was her way of telling him to drop the subject, and Jayden did just that- biting back his annoyance. He knew it was hypocritical to get annoyed, as he did the same, but _still._

Brooke usually talked to him about things pertaining to her being a ranger, so _why was she being quiet?_ It left Jayden with a strange feeling of being hurt, and he didn't know why he felt it. It was annoying and worrying and- letting out a quiet sigh, Jayden settled into his emotionless state again, returning his attention to his sushi. It was easier if he just stopped thinking altogether- so Jayden found himself in an almost dissociative state, just listening to the conversation around him.

"You're using a lot of symbol power," Kevin remarked, and Brooke raised a brow at the blue ranger as she slid off of the stool. "Are you sure you're alright?"

This time it was Brooke's turn to sigh as she grabbed an apple from the bowl. "I'm _fine,_ seriously. It's what I'm meant to do, and I can handle it. Don't worry about me." With that, she left the kitchen, and Jayden watched her retreating form with a small frown.

Still, the red ranger knew if he was in the same situation, he would act the same way. However, it _wasn't_ his burden to bear, and Jayden knew that. The sealing symbol wasn't even his burden, and the weight of keeping secrets from the team was overbearing at some points. But, all he could do was grit his teeth and bear it, that's all anyone could do. Brooke was in a similar position he was- just with incredibly different circumstances, and Jayden wished that wasn't the case. The nonchalant act was hard to keep up, and the silver and red rangers just tried their best to make it convincing. _That's all they could do._

Brooke had taken a shower and was finishing buttoning her short sleeve shirt- which was black with light grey pinstripes when her samuraizer started beeping. Letting out a sigh, the silver ranger attached the parallelogram that was her wolf zord to one of the belt loops of her denim shorts. Paired with black tights and her doc martens, Brooke left her room, flipping open her samuraizer. It was one of the days where the gap sensor was being slower than her samuraizer, but it soon went off as well.

The silver ranger stood by the red's side as he tapped the coffee table and the map of Panorama appeared, the five other rangers gathering around the map as well. "It's at the pier," Jayden announced, blue eyes scanning the map and then flickering towards Brooke. "Any shortcuts?" He asked, and Brooke rolled her eyes with a smile.

"No, let's just go." Brooke urged, and the team nodded, sprinting out of the Shiba House.

* * *

The six reached the pier, Brooke and Jayden sharing looks of confusion when they stopped next to the grate where the small gap sensor was hidden. Multiple pairs of eyes scanned the area, and Mike was the first one to speak.

"So, where's the nighlok?" The green ranger voiced the six rangers' silent question.

Brooke sniffed the air and got ready to tell the team nothing smelt unusual, but she tensed. A gust of wind blew her hair away from her face, and grey eyes flashed as she scanned the area, chewing on her bottom lip. She felt like she was being watched- which was depressingly familiar, but still unnerving. But, Brooke just kept a calm façade, appearing nonchalant. However, Jayden was a different story, as the red ranger felt the gust of wind and spun on his heels, fully alert. Blue eyes flickered around, Jayden's brows knit as he inspected the area.

The rest of the team noticed their leader's actions, looks of confusion written on their faces. "What's wrong?" Emily asked Jayden, who let out a sigh.

"Felt like someone was watching me," Jayden muttered, trying to release the tension in his body as he turned to face the team. "It's gone now, though." He reassured the team, regaining his composure, Brooke watching him out of the corner of her eye. While she was used to the feeling of being watched thanks to paranoia from when she was younger- Jayden wasn't, and the stress radiated off of him in waves.

Kevin looked at Jayden quizzically for a couple of moments and then turned his attention to the small gap sensor that was hidden in the grate. When the blue ranger picked up the sensor, it stopped glowing and beeping, and the team peered at it in confusion.

"Something must've triggered this," Kevin concluded, the blue ranger holding up the sensor slightly as he inspected it with knit brows.

"Yeah, but what?" Emily wondered, turning her attention to Brooke. "Brooke, can you smell anything?" She asked the silver ranger, who now wore a ghost of a smile on her lips.

However, Brooke shook her head. "Nah, it's weird. Usually, my wolf senses would be going haywire, but everything is strangely normal, in a sense? I don't smell nighlok, so it can't be one that turns invisible or some shit like that, and even if it was planning a surprise attack, my senses would pick up on it," The silver ranger rambled, and when the team blinked at her with confused expressions, Brooke felt herself flush. "Long story short- no." She answered, eyes flashing as cheeks dusted pink. She tended to go on explanations that were longer than necessary when it came to being a shifter- usually, the others just listened even if they didn't understand what the silver ranger was talking about.

"It could've glitched." Mike offered as Kevin placed the sensor back in the grate.

"We can get more information on it back home, let's go," Jayden remarked, and while the rest of the team walked ahead, he was stopped by Brooke grabbing his wrist. "Everything alright?" He asked, taking in the tension that the silver ranger held.

Brooke let go of Jayden's wrist, and she felt her claws grow in as she pushed some of her hair away from her face. "I'm feeling it too- the feeling of being watched," Brooke confessed as she and Jayden walked side-by-side.

"You seem so calm about it, though," Jayden commented, and Brooke wore a bittersweet smile.

"From experience. When I ran away from James, I spent months constantly looking over my shoulder, paranoid that he was watching me. I became sort of… numb to it after a while," Brooke explained, furrowing her brows as her eyes flashed gold. "Still, if you're feeling the same thing- it's not just trauma," She sighed, hooking her thumbs on the belt loops of her denim shorts.

"Is that why you walk so quietly?" Jayden wondered, eyeing Brooke's platform doc martens. They should be at least making some sort of noise on the pavement, but to the red ranger's surprise, they didn't.

Brooke nodded, laughing lightly. "Yeah, you learn how to walk silently pretty quickly when you have to sneak around. To y'know, keep yourself alive and whatnot," Brooke answered, grey eyes meeting blue, and the silver ranger broke into a grin. "Why? You jealous?" She joked, snickering when Jayden rolled his eyes with a smile.

"Not really, you're just interesting," Jayden replied, and Brooke raised her eyebrows. "It's hard to explain, but, you've changed a lot- and even now it's like I'm meeting you for the first time. Not that it's a bad thing," He quickly chalked on when he noticed the silver ranger's unwavering gaze. "Getting to know you again has been fun, in a way. I missed you." Jayden mumbled the last part, and he felt heat rise to his cheeks as he avoided looking Brooke in the eye.

Brooke noticed the red coating the tips of ears and felt the corners of her lips twitch. "Well, I don't have the memories to back it up, but, I have a feeling I missed you too. We seemed to be close." She mused, and Jayden hummed in response, seemingly recalling a happy memory.

"You, me, and Antonio used to drive Ji crazy," Jayden recalled the memories with a smile. When he noticed Brooke's confused expression, he backpedaled. "Antonio was friends with me around the time you came to the Shiba House. He was quick to want to make you his friend, and I used to get mad about it." The red ranger laughed, and Brooke snorted.

"Ah, so you're the type to get jealous easily, I'll keep that in mind," Brooke teased with a grin, nudging Jayden's shoulder with her own. The red ranger shot her a deadpan expression in response, which caused Brooke to laugh. "Still, it sounds like we had a whole little brigade. I wish I could remember stuff like that." The silver ranger's cheerful expression fell as the gravel path leading to the Shiba House crunched underneath the pair's feet. The team was only a couple feet ahead of them, not noticing that the red and silver rangers had trailed behind some.

Jayden noticed her change in demeanor and stopped Brooke before she could walk through the heavy wooden doors. "You're here, that's enough, Brooke. Don't feel guilty- you had no control over that." Jayden reassured her, and Brooke smiled faintly.

"Thanks, Red." Brooke murmured, and Jayden squeezed her hand in response, pushing open the door to the Shiba House. The silver ranger ducked under his arm and walked into the wooden building- the red shadowing her.

Ji shot the red and silver rangers a confused glance when they walked in. "That was fast." The older man mused, Brooke and Jayden sitting next to each other in the meeting room.

"Doesn't take long to deal with nothing," Mike muttered bitterly, letting out a sigh.

Kevin knit his brows, presumably trying to think of an explanation as to _why_ there was nothing. "The gap sensor was working fine, but no nighlok. We didn't see anything out of the ordinary." He summarized, and Brooke raised her brows when she noticed the team's gazes landed on her.

"What's with you- oh, you're thinking of when I fought the nighlok for you guys," Realization dawned on Brooke's face, and she snickered. "It was fun watching you all run in circles around me. But I never did _this_ , I'm not that good with tech." She explained but then turned her attention when her hearing perked. A faint _thwip_ came from outside, and the team didn't seem to notice it.

But Brooke did, and she rose from her seat, tensing somewhat. "What is it?" Jayden asked with confusion and concern etched on his face. The silver ranger didn't answer, only walking outside, Jayden shadowing her.

Spotting an arrow that had a note attached to it embedded in the wall near the main door, Brooke inspected the area _._ "Thought I heard something," She mumbled, pulling out the arrow with a clawed hand. "It was this hitting the wall. But whoever did it must be a good shot, because I would've picked up on someone being near here. Even now, everything smells normal. No signs of any others." _Or my senses are just that off n_ ow, Brooke thought, and Jayden took the arrow out of her hand with knit brows.

"Could it be related to us feeling like we're being watched?" Jayden wondered aloud, and Brooke pursed her lips slightly as the two rangers walked back into the Shiba House.

Resting her chin on Jayden's shoulder as she peered at the note, Brooke frowned. "Well, it sounds vaguely threatening, and it's... _fishy_." She murmured, gagging slightly at the intensity of the smell. It wasn't the best thing she ever smelt- but it was better than the stink nighlok the team had fought.

"It just says "see you soon"." Jayden read aloud, noticing the rest of the team's confused glances at the arrow.

"What?" Mia knit her brows, and then her eyes widened slightly. "A nighlok attack?" She wondered in a slight panic.

Ji was quick to shut that idea down, the older man shaking his head. "No, not here, at least. The house is protected by defensive symbols." He explained.

"And they're doing a good job," Mike replied sarcastically, taking the arrow from Jayden's hand. "I mean, _someone_ shot this arrow," The green ranger cringed slightly when the smell of fish filled his nostrils. "There's something fishy about this."

Emily glanced at the arrow and then at Mike. "Obviously." She stated, and Mike shook his head.

"No, there's _really_ something fishy. Smell." Mike shoved the arrow in the yellow ranger's face, Emily grimacing at the smell.

* * *

The feeling of being watched didn't lessen as the night went on. Brooke was just somewhat ignoring it, but she could tell that Jayden was on his wit's end. Stress was radiating off the red ranger, and the silver couldn't think of a means to reassure him. Jayden had every right to be paranoid, and Brooke didn't know what to say to calm him down. Joking wouldn't work, she knew that much, so Brooke just left him to his own devices, which she thought was fine. _Thought._

A rapid knocking at Brooke's door caused the silver ranger to snap her head up from her mother's journal. Ignoring the pounding of her heartbeat in her ears, she opened the door to find Mike and Mia. "What's up?" Brooke greeted, scanning the two rangers with knit brows, noticing the looks of fear mixed with worry on their faces. "Did something happen? You two look like you've seen hell."

"It's Jayden." Mike blurted, and Brooke raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning against the doorframe.

"Red?" Brooke echoed, eyes flashing. That was _incredibly_ worrying, and she let out a sigh, pushing herself off of the doorframe. "I've got it, just leave him alone." She muttered, waving her hand in dismissal at the pink and green rangers.

Brooke willed her footsteps to make noise on the wooden floors- because Jayden _had_ probably snapped. Her thoughts were confirmed when she saw Jayden pacing the indoor dojo that the Shiba House offered with his spin-sword raised. "Red," Brooke called, making sure to stay out of his range of attack- because Jayden instantly turned at the noise, slashing with his spin-sword.

"Brooke," Jayden lowered his spin-sword, voice full of stress mixed with fear. "There's something otherworldly here- I can sense it. It's watching me." As if on cue, a gust of wind flew through the room, rustling the two rangers' clothes and hair, and Jayden's blue eyes instantly snapped around the room.

Brooke took hesitant steps towards Jayden, trying to will away her claws. "I know, I sense it too. But we can't do anything about it at the moment. We're just going to have to deal with it for a little bit, and that means _not_ slashing at the air with your sword." She spoke softly, keeping her voice calm and even and hands slightly raised, signaling that she wasn't a threat, but she still kept an eye trained on the spin-sword in Jayden's hand.

The other four rangers, plus Ji, watched the pair. "Didn't know Brooke could play therapist that well." Mike murmured, watching as the silver ranger remained calm, talking to Jayden softly.

"Yes, they've always been able to ground each other the most," Ji explained with a sigh. "The connection the two have is almost worrying." The older man watched as Brooke seemingly made a joke, the stressed expression Jayden wore breaking somewhat.

"It's kind of sweet, the way they help each other," Emily commented with a small smile. "They really do care for each other."

"Red, put the sword away," Brooke urged, and when Jayden set his jaw, the silver ranger sighed. She had tried her usual tactics, and they had worked- but whatever was watching them seemed to notice this and did everything to stress Jayden out more. It was aggravating.

 _"Jayden._ Nothing can hurt you- this is going to sound like some cliché bullshit but, _it's just a feeling._ We're being watched, yes. It sucks. But- don't give me that look, I'm in the same position you are," Brooke huffed at Jayden's disgruntled expression, eyes flashing. God, he was _stubborn._ "We're not being attacked, we're safe. It's just a feeling, a very unnerving one, yes, but a feeling nonetheless."

When Brooke saw annoyance make its way onto Jayden's face, she tensed somewhat. "Brooke, I'm not like you. I can't be calm about everything." It came out more forcefully than Jayden intended- and he instantly felt guilty as the silver ranger flinched somewhat.

Still, Brooke took it in stride, and soon her eyes flashing only gave her slight fear away. "I know that, and I'm not asking you to. I just want you to put your spin-sword-" A gust of wind cut the silver ranger off. Jayden slashed, and Brooke stopped the blade before it could decapitate her, blocking the swing with the palm of her hand and letting out a hiss of pain when the blade made contact.

Claws scratched at the metal, and it took Jayden a moment to realize what had happened, taking in Brooke's gold eyes and the way her lips curled around her canines. Blue eyes widened, and Jayden's spin sword disappeared in a flash on red as blood dripped from Brooke's hand onto the floor. Still, the silver ranger seemed relatively unphased, just looking at her hand and grimacing somewhat. Blood dripped from the wound and onto the toe of her doc martens, and the only thing that was concerning to Brooke was the way the skin near the wound blistered. "There's gotta be silver in there." She muttered, eyes flashing as she knit her brows.

"Brooke!" Mia's voice was full of concern, and Jayden couldn't find the right words as the pink ranger hurriedly made her way over to the silver.

 _He had hurt a teammate._ The red ranger did what he vowed not to do- and Jayden felt a mix of guilt, shame, and fear fill his body. "Brooke-" Jayden choked out, and the silver ranger gave him this sad sort of smile that made his heart hurt. He couldn't even find the right words to say- what should he do? _Apologize?_ Sure, yeah, that'll help somewhat, but it wouldn't help with the feeling of guilt that was eating at Jayden's heart.

"It'll be fine," Brooke reassured Mia, who pursed her lips at the silver ranger. "Just- is there silver in your spin-swords? Because that might be a slight issue," When Mia looked at her quizzically, she forced a laugh. "C'mon, you don't know the folk tales? About how silver affects werewolves?" She joked, and Jayden glanced at the rest of the team.

All of them had a look of shock on their faces, and Ji had a look of worry and disappointment. Jayden watched as Mia pulled Brooke in the direction of the med-bay, Emily shadowing the two girls. That's when Jayden willed his feet to move, looking down at his hands, that were shaking somewhat- and he nodded at Ji, the red ranger walking in the direction of his mentor's office.

That left Mike and Kevin, the green and blue rangers sharing looks of disbelief. "When I got Brooke- I figured she could calm Jayden down some, y'know? With how close they are and all that. I didn't expect _this_ to happen." Mike muttered, and Kevin furrowed his brows with a small sigh.

* * *

"You're _incredibly_ lucky that Brooke has the reaction time she does, Jayden," Ji started, sitting down at his desk, the red ranger sitting in the chair that was across from it. "That would've killed her- or seriously injured her. You're also lucky because it's Brooke, and she'll treat this as an accident, the others wouldn't have been so forgiving." He scolded, and the sense of guilt Jayden felt made him want to throw up.

He had promised her that he wasn't going to hurt her. And Jayden realized that promise was thrown out of the window. "I- I know, Ji, I know." It's the only thing he could say because Jayden felt _horrible._ While it was accidental, the realization that he swung at Brooke- the same Brooke that let him sleep on her shoulder, made the red ranger's blood run cold.

Ji saw Jayden's guilty expression and let out a quiet sigh. "I understand you acting with your instincts, Jayden. But I already told you tonight that you're taking it _too far._ That's the second teammate you accidentally raised your sword against tonight, and I suggest you try to think before you act. You got lucky, extremely so by stopping yourself before you hit Emily and it being Brooke the one you hit. In all honesty, Brooke looked like she was more worried for you than for herself- and I suggest apologizing to her before you do anything else." Ji lectured, and Jayden nodded faintly, the red ranger running a hand over his face.

"What do I say, Ji? While it's Brooke- I-I don't know what to do." Jayden stammered, his voice quiet.

Meanwhile, Brooke let out a hiss of pain as Mia cleaned the gash in her hand. She was right- the spin-swords _did_ have some silver in them, and that was causing her hand to swell and blister. Brooke didn't know if it was the same with shifters before her- but she realized that she had what she could only call a silver allergy. Contact with the metal- even if it was mixed with another metal caused the area where it touches to blister and burn. It was a white-hot burn, and Brooke wondered if it was because of Jayden's spin-sword as well.

 _Jayden's spin-sword._ The shock and adrenaline faded, and Brooke was surprised when she felt tears rolling down her cheeks. Both Mia and Emily noticed this, the yellow ranger moving to the silver's side, pulling Brooke close to her and petting her hair soothingly as Mia wrapped her hand with gauze. Once she finished, the pink ranger sat on Brooke's other side, holding her injured hand gently.

After a couple minutes, Brooke let out a weak laugh from where she was resting her head on Emily's shoulder,, her tears stopping. "I don't know why I'm crying," She confessed with a weak voice. "Guess _that_ scared me more than I thought it did."

"You have every right to be scared," Mia murmured, her voice soft and gentle. "It took us all by surprise. You have really fast reaction time, though." She added, and Brooke sniffled, letting out a watery laugh.

"Surprised I didn't shift, in all honesty," Brooke remarked, wiping away her tears with the back of her hand. "My fight or flight response definitely-" She cut herself off, as the familiar scent that Jayden carried filled her nose. "I'll be back." She murmured, standing and walking towards the door, Mia and Emily sharing confused looks.

Brooke smelt Jayden before she saw him- which sounded bad, and Jayden didn't smell bad, it was just the truth. Shutting the door behind her, Brooke scanned the area, grey-gold eyes flashing as her gaze landed on the red ranger, who was leaning against the wall near the end of the hallway. He seemed to be lost in thought, his brows furrowed as he stared at the floor. If it was any other situation, Brooke would've found it cute.

Brooke was relieved to find him without his spin-sword. However, she was still on alert when she walked towards Jayden, but she willed away her inhumane features as she spoke. "Red." She called, and Jayden's head snapped up, a hopeful expression on his face. It was an expression that soon got replaced with one of guilt and shame quickly- as his blue eyes took in her injured hand and tear stained cheeks. That made him feel even more guilty, and Jayden resisted the urge to throw up from the sheet amount of guilt he felt.

"Brooke, I'm sorry. What I did wasn't right, and I let my emotions dictate my actions-" Jayden furrowed his brows when Brooke laughed, revealing her pointed canines. It wasn't mocking laughter, it was laughter like she found something _funny._ Which was somewhat concerning to Jayden, but he was somewhat relieved as well.

"Red, with all due respect, you sound like a bot," Brooke laughed, shooting a teasing smile at the red ranger, who returned it with a raised brow. "I can tell you have no idea what to say but, you don't have to be apologetic- ah." She was cut off by Jayden wrapping her into a tight hug, and Brooke felt as he buried one of his hands into her hair, the other on the small of her back.

"Still, I'm sorry," Jayden murmured, feeling as Brooke wrapped her arms around his torso. "I promised you that I wouldn't hurt you, and if you hadn't acted, I-I would've _killed_ _you,_ Brooke. And that's what's scaring me the most," He choked out, stepping away from the silver ranger, noticing the tears that fell down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry." He muttered, and Brooke didn't even know a person could hold so much guilt in their expression.

Brooke wiped away her tears and this time she knew why she was crying. James had told her multiple times that he was going to kill her, and Jayden was the polar opposite of that, plus she was just _stressed._ About Jayden, about the cage symbol, about being watched, about _everything._ Feeling Jayden hug her like he wasn't going to let go just caused all of that stress to finally blow up in her face. "It's alright Red, they're not because of you. It's just been a long day." Brooke reassured Jayden, who cupped her face gently and wiped away her tears with the pads of his thumbs. With the warmth of his hands, Brooke found herself calming down much quicker than she thought she would, not that she was complaining.

"It's been a long day," Jayden echoed in confirmation, letting out a heavy sigh. He scanned Brooke's face- and the silver ranger noticed the way his eyes lingered on her lips a bit longer than necessary, but she didn't bring it up. Instead of acting on impulses, Jayden just dropped his hands to his sides, giving her a faint smile. "I think I'm gonna get some rest. Goodnight, Brooke."

"Sleeping does sound like a good idea," Brooke joked, returning Jayden's smile with her own. "Goodnight, Red. Sleep well." She watched as Jayden nodded, giving her one last smile before retreating down the hall towards his room. Once he had left fully, Brooke was surprised when the flowery and peachy smells Emily and Mia carried filled her nose. Turning on her heel, she quirked a brow at the yellow and pink rangers, who were peeking around the doorway that led into the med bay.

Mia and Emily stepped out from their hiding spots, both of the girls sporting small grins. "I thought I heard Jayden." The pink ranger defended herself, and Brooke rolled her eyes with a small smile.

"Mhm, sure," Brooke retorted, raising her brows and pursing her lips slightly, eyes flashing. "Well, I'm gonna go to bed, I'm exhausted. Goodnight, you two, sleep well." She raised her hand in farewell, her boots making no noise as she walked towards her room. Emily and Mia only shared knowing looks, the two rangers retreating to their rooms as well.

* * *

Sunlight filtering through Brooke's window woke her up- rather than her usual alarm. Grabbing her phone off of her nightstand, she realized that the device was dead and she forgot to charge it last night. Letting out a groan, the silver ranger plugged her phone into its charger and glanced at the clock that was on her desk. It was almost nine, and that fact alone caused Brooke to curse under her breath as she got dressed, quickly brushing her hair and leaving her room.

However, the Shiba House was empty, sans Brooke and Ji. The older man was in his office and raised his head when he saw Brooke standing at the doorway, slightly taken aback by how quietly she had moved. "Mike, Kevin, Emily, and Mia went to go inspect the gap sensor from yesterday," Ji answered the silver ranger's silent question.

Still, Brooke furrowed her brows. "What about Red?" She questioned, and Ji let out a sigh.

"He's headed for Spring Valley, it must have something to do with what you two were sensing-" Ji stopped himself when he realized Brooke had left, the older man sighing again. _Always trying to protect each other_ , he thought, reaching for his own samuraizer and calling the rest of the team.

The silver ranger sprinted to Spring Valley, shifting once she could do so with being spotted. The brown wolf noticed Jayden but stayed hidden at the edge of the forest. Gold eyes inspected the area, wolf-Brooke tapping into her senses. It seemed fine, but she wanted to know why Jayden was _here_ , of all places. From the tension in his body, he seemed to be planning something, and the brown wolf on her haunches, fluffy brown and white tail wagging slowly.

When Jayden drew a symbol and got enveloped in fog, Brooke shifted back. The silver ranger racked her own memories, cycling through the symbols she knew. Once she landed on the one she wanted, Brooke flipped open her samuraizer and activated the brush portion, drawing the symbol. 隠す shone in silver, and the silver ranger grinned.

 _"Symbol Power: Hide,"_ Brooke called quietly, activating the symbol. However, she cursed herself for not using it last night, because the silver ranger didn't sleep much. After all, she felt like she was watched. And while Brooke knew she could've woken Jayden up and stayed with him- she didn't want to bother him. It wasn't the best situation, but it's what happened.

The nighlok appeared in a flash of red from a crack in a boulder, muttering to itself, and the silver ranger felt herself grin. _It was showtime._

Spying the mirror in the nighlok's hand, Brooke took her wolf zord off of the belt loop of her denim shorts. The parallelogram instantly unfolded to reveal the silver and black mechanical wolf, and its owner smiled faintly at the robot. "Go get the mirror, bud," She urged, and with a wag of its tail, the wolf zord flew through the air. Stepping out of her hiding spot, the silver ranger flipped open her samuraizer. As the silver suit materialized on her body, she grinned underneath the helmet as the wolf zord grabbed the nighlok's mirror out of its hand.

"Give me back my mirror!" The nighlok demanded, but before the monster could say anything else, Jayden emerged from the water with a yell. Performing a downwards strike, the red ranger moved quickly, knocking the monster down to the ground and standing at Brooke's side.

"Nice entrance," Brooke teased as the wolf zord dropped the mirror into her gloved hand. Drawing one of her katanas, the silver ranger spun the sword in her hand. "Don't appreciate spies, y'know? Really not the vibe."

"I said, give it back!" The nighlok growled, and Brooke snickered, pointing her katana at the monster.

Soon, Kevin and Mia stumbled out of the woods, Brooke snorting at their lack of balance as they tripped through the underbrush. "Brooke! Jayden!" Kevin greeted, the two quickly morphing into their ranger suits as well.

"Thank god we found you. And we seem to be just in time!" Mia called, the blue and pink rangers holding their swords at the ready. "Is this the guy you two sensed?"

"Four on one's not fair!" The nighlok sneered, and Brooke stepped forward slightly.

Raising a brow underneath her helmet, the silver ranger grinned. "Spying on us is technically a war crime- so I believe us outnumbering you is _pretty_ insignificant." Brooke fired back, and Jayden felt the corners of his lips twitch.

"I also saw through you," Jayden announced to the nighlok, and Brooke shot him a quizzical look. "When I splashed water on my face, I realized I could block your spell. I knew then that this was the one true place I could hide from you." He explained, and the nighlok seemed to groan in frustration.

As the team made the connection, Brooke looked down at the mirror in her hand. The object had caused more stress and pain then the silver ranger would've liked, so she threw the mirror in the air without hesitation. Before it could hit the ground, Brooke cut through it, kicking half of the mirror away from herself for good measure. "Cut to the chase. Why were you spying on us?" She growled, drawing her other katana and readying her blades.

The nighlok seemed to return her frustration with its own. "I needed my mirror to spy on you two. But you never practiced the stupid sealing symbols." The monster grumbled, and Brooke narrowed her eyes. She knew that Xandred's lackeys' wishes to see her head on a stake increased with the cage symbol's appearance. And truthfully? It was somewhat frightening to Brooke, but she tried not to show it.

"So that's what you were after!" Mia concluded, and the four rangers tensed, getting ready to jump into battle.

"Who cares if you know? You're still going down! _Fox Cyclone!"_ The nighlok spun in the circle, and the four rangers made noises of surprise.

A large cyclone appeared, picking the four up and spinning them in the air. Brooke felt fear rise in her gut but pushed it down. Sheathing her blades, she shifted mid-air, twisting her body so she landed on all four paws. The rest of the team wasn't so lucky, as Jayden was the only one who was somewhat prepared. The red ranger rolled over his shoulder, which prevented him from hitting the ground at full force, but the blue and pink rangers hit the ground head-on. Still, Mia and Kevin picked themselves up off the ground quickly, the three rangers kneeling and readying their swords. Wolf-Brooke growled at the nighlok, hackles raised with bristled fur, her ears flattened to her head.

"We'll need the others to out-fox this guy!" Jayden felt wolf-Brooke's tail hit him in the arm for that pun. The red ranger rolling his eyes with a faint smile on his face underneath his red helmet in response, but it quickly fell when he turned his attention to the blue and pink rangers. "Where are they?"

"They're still chasing after that fishy arrow guy!" Kevin replied, and the brown wolf let out a whine of confusion, Jayden shooting the blue ranger a quizzical look underneath his helmet.

Mia seemed to be two steps ahead of the other rangers, pulling out her samuraizer. "I'll call and see where they are." She declared, calling either Mike or Emily.

While she did so, Kevin, Jayden, and wolf-Brooke started tussling with the nighlok again. Much to Jayden's amusement, the brown wolf had successfully tripped the nighlok and then proceeded to slash at it with her claws. The nighlok grew annoyed at that, which was expected, and tried to kick wolf-Brooke when it stood again. However, the brown wolf jumped back, letting out barks that seemed almost mocking as she regrouped with Jayden and Kevin.

"Nice one." Jayden praised wolf-Brooke, who let out a happy bark in response and shifted back. Brooke felt herself smile at the praise- it was nice.

However, the silver ranger's smile fell when the nighlok growled. "Try this one! _Fox Flame!"_ The nighlok called out the attack, Mia and Kevin getting knocked to the ground. Brooke, who had drawn the Wolf Kunai, and Jayden slashed through the blue flames that flew through the air. Once those were dealt with, the silver and red rangers sprinted forward. _"Fox Flare!"_

Brooke jumped over a new wave of blue flames and stumbled slightly when her ankle popped and her vision blurred, which was _not good_. Gritting her teeth, she tried to ignore the pain that flared and her double vision, but she found herself on her knees next to Jayden, who wasn't doing much better. _Okay, so- we just gotta get out of this mess,_ Brooke thought to herself, trying to come up with a battle strategy. The exhaustion was starting to hit her like a freight train, and the silver ranger panted as the red reached for his spin-sword.

"You two saw through my plans, but the stress from all of my spells has taken a toll on you!" The nighlok snickered, and Brooke let out a growl, narrowing her eyes underneath her silver helmet. "You're finished!" The monster threatened and then raised its blade, getting ready to decapitate the silver and red rangers.

However, before that could happen, Mike and Emily jumped in, the green and yellow rangers landing an attack that sent the nighlok flying backwards. "You okay?" Emily asked Brooke, helping the silver ranger to her feet, who nodded and stumbled slightly.

"Was that a cool save or what?" Mike asked, pride seeping into his tone.

"It was, thanks, Mike." Brooke thanked, and made a move to walk forward and high-five the green ranger. However, she let out a hiss of pain when her ankle buckled.

Jayden noticed this and used his shoulder to help prop Brooke up. "You know what to do." He commanded his team, who all nodded, Brooke regaining her balance. The six rangers put their zord disks on their spin-swords- and kunai, spinning the disks. The blades lit up the rangers' respective colors, and they all slashed, calling out the attacks.

_"Quintuple Slash!"_

_"Full Pack!"_

The nighlok, who was picking itself off the ground, noticed the six multicolored attacks that were hurtling towards it at full speed. _"Fox Reflection Steel!"_ The nighlok called, and what seemed like an abyss swallowed the six attacks, Brooke lowering her kunai slightly.

"Huh-" The silver ranger started, but was tackled to the ground by Jayden as the attacks hit the team's backs. They all fell forward onto the stone-covered ground, Brooke groaning as she reached for her samuraizer. Wow, she almost felt sympathetic for the nighlok that had to endure this attack, it wasn't fun.

"Right back at ya!" The nighlok snickered at the fallen ranger's, eyes glowing a brilliant blue.

Brooke noticed this and started rising to her feet, flipping open her samuraizer and activating the brush portion. _"Protection!"_ She screamed- and the symbol did work, just not _well._ While the silver shield absorbed most of the damage and protected the team from major injuries, it still hit the group, which caused them to fly back onto the ground and demorph. Brooke had almost landed on Jayden but twisted her body somewhat so she landed _next to_ the red ranger and on her side. Which wasn't any better, but still. Brooke could take the pain of landing on her side better than the embarrassment of landing straight onto Jayden Shiba.

"I have thousands of mirror spells- I can handle whatever you throw my way!" The nighlok cackled in glee at the six rangers, who were struggling to pick themselves up off of the ground. "But you can't handle what I'm about to throw at you!" The monster threatened, and the team tensed, Jayden subconsciously grabbing Brooke and pulling her closer to him.

However, the attack never came. "Catch of the day!" A voice yelled, and what seemed like… _fish?_ hit the nighlok and caused a large explosion of sparks. "And what about what I throw at you?" The owner of the voice fired back, who was a boy Brooke and Jayden's age with a _cooler._

The boy had his plaid jacket shirt rolled up to his elbows, revealing multiple leather bracelets on his wrists. He had a hanker-chief the same pattern as his jacket tied around his neck. He had tan skin and big brown eyes, with black hair that was styled so that it was sticking up. Whoever he was, he radiated confidence and enthusiasm, and both Brooke and Jayden shared a look of confusion- as they both felt a feeling of recognition surface.

Brooke raised her eyebrows at Jayden, who just shrugged in response as the boy grinned. "Now this is a big moment," The boy announced, spreading out his arms and then settling into a defensive stance. "Better make it golden, baby!"

"Who the _hell_?" Mike blurted, staring at the boy with wide eyes.

"What is he doing?!" Emily exclaimed in shock, and the rest of the team let out noises of surprise and shock.

"Hey, isn't that the guy you were chasing?" Kevin asked Mike, and the green ranger nodded, knitting his brows.

The feeling of familiarity, mixed with a sense of deja-vu, left Brooke with a tension headache. "He's gonna get fucking murdered- that's what's gonna happen." She muttered, her eyes flashing as she drew her weak ankle to her body and let out a hiss of pain.

Jayden noticed this and tightened his hold around Brooke somewhat. "He's going to get taken apart by that nighlok if he goes against it." He stated, brows furrowed.

The boy flipped open an old flip-phone, spinning the device in his hand. _"Samurai Morpher: Gold Power!"_ The boy called, and he morphed into a gold and blue suit. The team just let out noises of shock and confusion, the gold ranger looking over at the team. "That's it? No thanks for helping?" When the team didn't respond, he laughed faintly. "I get it, you need a minute! When I make an entrance, it's go big or go home!" The gold ranger exclaimed, pointing towards the team. "Am I right?"

"Let me ask this again: who the _hell_?" Mike repeated himself, but the rangers didn't have an answer.

Emily let out a gasp of awe. "Wow, he's so sparkly!" She thought aloud, and the gold ranger seemed to enjoy being called sparkly.

"Don't worry, I've got this!" The gold ranger stated confidently, jumping in front of the fallen rangers.

As the nighlok screamed in frustration, Kevin knit his brows. "I've never read about a gold ranger in the archives." He muttered in confusion. "Jayden?"

"First I've heard of it," Jayden responded, his voice laced with confusion.

Mia shot a glance at Brooke, who was leaning against Jayden's chest and watching the gold ranger with gold eyes. "Reminds me of how Brooke showed up- there wasn't anything in the archives about the silver rangers, either." The pink ranger thought aloud, and Brooke narrowed her eyes.

"I don't know who Goldie is though- and he's not a shifter, I can tell that much," Brooke replied, watching the gold ranger and chewing on her bottom lip, claws and canines fully grown in. "So, he's not my family's problem." She added, watching as the nighlok called the gold ranger "twinkle toes", which was somewhat funny.

However, that faint amusement turned into awe as the gold ranger drew his weapon. _"Barracuda Blade!"_ The ranger yelled, moving almost too quickly for the human eye to see and cutting through moogers

"He might have a fish symbol power, Red," Brooke joked, looking up at Jayden with a grin that was laced with exhaustion and a slight lisp due to her canines. "Fish boy." Maybe it was the exhaustion, but the silver ranger found the gold _funny._ Not in the same way she found Jayden funny- he was just Jayden and that was funny enough as it is. But the gold ranger? He seemed like a loveable dork with a speedy fighting style, and Brooke respected his sparkly suit. It was a union- two rangers with sparkly suits instead of one.

Jayden looked down at Brooke and rolled his eyes with a faint smile, then returned his attention back to the gold ranger. The same feeling he had when he first saw Brooke washed over him and his blue eyes were unwavering from the ranger. As the gold ranger cut down moogers with ease, Jayden rose to his feet, helping Brooke stand.

Which was kind of disappointing for Brooke, because she enjoyed being held by Jayden- but the show must go on. The team started chasing the gold ranger, and the silver cursed under her breath, shifting so she could keep up with them. Which worked, and she shifted back before the gold ranger could see her wolf form, limping to Jayden's side as the gold ranger fell from the tree he was standing in and landed on his back.

"You okay?" Emily called in concern, and the gold ranger held out a hand.

"Don't worry, I've got this!" The gold ranger reassured the team confidently, picking himself up off of the ground. He quickly cut through the moogers, but with it, the trunks of multiple trees, and Brooke heard the sound of the trees starting to fall before the others did.

Bringing her fingers to her mouth, Brooke let out a loud whistle, which got the gold ranger's attention. "Goldie, move!" She shouted, motioning for him to do so, and the gold ranger nodded, moving quickly out of the way before the trees could fall onto him.

"Man, this thing's sharper than I thought," The gold ranger muttered, looking down at his barracuda blade and then at Brooke. "Thanks, sweetheart!" He called as he rushed the nighlok, and Brooke choked on her own saliva, turning bright red as Jayden narrowed his eyes.

The gold ranger fought with the nighlok for a moment and then got blown back by a large blast. Still, he landed on his feet, raising his head at the nighlok. "That was just a lucky shot!" He declared confidently, and the nighlok cackled.

"Not quite! _Fierce Fox Flock!"_ The nighlok called out the attack, and bats appeared.

As a large number of bats appeared, Mike knit his brows. "Guys, we need to help him out." The green ranger urged, and the red was already two steps ahead of him. It was a strange mix of jealousy and pride that made Jayden want to act- and he knew that he shouldn't let his emotions dictate his actions in battle. At this point, he didn't _care._

However, before he could morph, Brooke grabbed his wrist. "I'm fighting with you, you're gonna need the full pack for this one," She murmured, flipping open her samuraizer and activating the brush portion. Jayden motioned to her ankle, and Brooke grinned, canines grown in fully. "Ranger boots have good ankle support. Let's go!" She urged, and Jayden nodded.

The red and silver rangers morphed, the red drawing his spin-sword and the silver drawing her Wolf Kunai. The two spun their zord disks, the blades of their weapons lighting up red and silver respectively, Jayden and Brooke yelling out their attack names.

_"Spin-sword: Blazing Strike!"_

_"Wolf Kunai: Full Pack!"_

The bats were soon lit ablaze, and then seven translucent silver wolves finished the job. The wolves lunged at the bats that were on fire, knocking them down and successfully killing them. The attacks also knocked the nighlok down, the silver ranger standing in the middle of the gold and the red.

The gold ranger grinned underneath his helmet. " _Excelente_! You two are better than I remember!" He exclaimed, and Brooke connected the dots. Well, tried to, as she tried to circle back on her time at the Shiba House, cursing under her breath when she got the usual dial tone. But still, she came to a conclusion.

It was a conclusion that Jayden didn't seem to reach. As after the gold ranger successfully diced the nighlok, the red looked at him quizzically, tilting his head to the side some. "What do you mean "better than you remember"?" Jayden questioned, and Brooke smiled in amusement. She decided to let Jayden come to the realization on his own.

The team let out noises of awe, and Mike knit his brows at the gold ranger. "Who in the _hell?_ " He muttered, and Brooke snorted, clapping the green ranger on the shoulder.

"That's the encore," Brooke joked, bringing out her wolf zord as the nighlok grew in size. The gold ranger had presumably never seen a nighlok's second form, as he let out a noise of surprise and fell onto his butt on the ground. "It's showtime, bud! _Wolf Folding Zord: Megamode Power!"_ Brooke yelled, throwing her zord in the air and drawing the symbol. Soon, she found herself in the cockpit of her wolf zord, and _then_ in the cockpit of the battlewing megazord, standing in between Jayden and Mike, per usual.

However, the nighlok seemed to be unfazed by the giant robot. "Time for my ace in the fox hole! _Volpez Veil!_ " When the nighlok went invisible, Brooke narrowed her eyes.

Rooting her booted feet to the ground, Brooke let out a whistle that got her wolf zords' attention. "Sniff him out, bud!" She commanded, and the wolf zord let out a bark, bouncing over to the nighlok and lunging. It drew the nighlok's attention away from the megazord, and Brooke turned her attention to Jayden. "He's only gonna be able to do so much, do you know of a symbol or something that could help?" She asked.

Jayden shook his head. "No, that's what's concerning." He muttered so only Brooke could hear, and the silver ranger turned her attention to her zord. Which was now getting hit, and Brooke cringed when the mechanical wolf let out a pained whine.

"Don't worry Red, it'll work out," Brooke reassured the red ranger, and then pointed forward. _"Fall Back!"_ She yelled, and the wolf zord bounced back, letting out a whimper.

Next to the wolf zord, a zord that looked like a squid appeared, and Jayden's eyes widened slightly. If he was correct- _both_ of his childhood friends were not samurai rangers, and Jayden didn't know if that was a blessing or a curse. Perhaps both? He didn't really know, and he glanced at Brooke, who was watching the octozord with full interest. That also meant numerous other things would come to light- and Jayden cringed slightly underneath his megamode suit. Old memories resurfaced, and Jayden just pushed them down. He'll deal with those-

"Red!" Brooke lightly hitting the shoulder of his megamode suit caused Jayden to snap out of his thoughts. "Don't dial tone on me now." She joked, and Jayden rolled his eyes, smiling faintly.

The megazord performed its final strike move, and the nighlok exploded, Jayden mentally preparing himself for the walk down memory lane he would have to do. " _Samurai Rangers: Victory is Ours,_ " Jayden called out, and with that, the battle ended.

* * *

Back on the ground and demorphed, Brooke half limped half walked beside Jayden, ignoring his concerned look as the team met with the gold ranger, who was still morphed. Still, he seemed to be as energetic as ever, waving happily at the team as he pulled his cooler behind him. Which was something Brooke found funny- and rather endearing, in a sense.

"Guys, was that golden with a capital "G", or what?" The gold ranger exclaimed joyfully, leaning against his cooler as the six walked up.

Kevin, however, was having none of it. "Start talking- what's your story?" The blue ranger demanded in a harsh tone.

"Kevin, be nice. He helped us during the battle," Brooke murmured, and when Kevin looked at the silver ranger in shock, she shrugged with a grin. "I was in the same position, remember?" She turned her attention to the gold ranger. Brooke knew she would have to explain her missing memories to him- if it really was Antonio.

The gold ranger demorphed with a wide smile on his face. "I just came to help because of all of the nighlok showing up," He explained, and by the look on Jayden's face, Brooke guessed it was Antonio. "Guys, I'm on your side. Brooke and Jay can vouch for me."

Brooke cringed somewhat. _She really couldn't,_ but Antonio was looking at her with such a joyful expression in his eyes, it made the silver ranger feel guilty. So, she just discreetly nudged Jayden, who nodded and took over.

"Is that really you, Antonio?" Jayden asked, and Antonio beamed.

"Hah! I knew you would remember me!" Antonio exclaimed cheerfully, his gaze sliding to Brooke.

The silver ranger sighed. "Long story short, I have no memories before the age of twelve, so I can't really have a whole reconnection moment, I'm sorry," Brooke explained, her eyes flashing, and when Antonio deflated somewhat, she limped up lightly punched the gold ranger in the shoulder. _"But,_ I'm getting the same feeling that I got with Red when I first met him. So, I'll trust your word, Goldie."

Antonio broke into an even wider smile. "Wow, you've changed a lot- I didn't even know you were the silver ranger." He commented, and Brooke laughed quietly.

"A lot happens in seven years." Brooke grinned, but it fell when she noticed Jayden's disgruntled expression. Quirking a brow at Jayden, he just shook his head and broke into a smile similar to Antonio's.

"I can't believe it's really you." Jayden murmured, trying to sort through the emotions that he was feeling. There was joy, excitement, and jealousy, but Jayden shoved the jealousy aside.

Antonio looked at his two childhood friends with a beaming smile. He had missed them- and while he had trained to become a samurai ranger like Jayden, Brooke was a plus. "Believe it baby, I'm back! And I'm ready for some action." He added and had a tone of seriousness in his voice, and Jayden raised his eyebrows slightly when Antonio walked forward.

As the two playfully sparred, Mike nudged Brooke with a grin. "Aren't you gonna join them?" He asked, and when Brooke motioned to her ankle, the green ranger let out a dramatic sigh. "C'mon Brooke, do your wolf thing."

"Fine, it's become a party trick at this point anyways." Brooke snickered, already coming up with a game plan as her bones made the familiar cracking sounds.

Shifting, wolf-Brooke walked quietly over to Antonio and Jayden, the two too focused on their little sparring much to notice her. The brown wolf let out a bark, and she darted in and out of Jayden and Antonio's legs, catching the gold and red rangers off guard and sending them tumbling to the grass.

"Brooke!" Jayden exclaimed in false annoyance, leveling a playful glare at the brown wolf, who barked in response, her tail wagging.

Meanwhile, Antonio seemed to be in shock, glancing at wolf-Brooke, then Jayden, then back to wolf-Brooke. "Brooke?" He echoed, and the brown wolf let out a happy bark in response, bounding over to the gold ranger.

Brooke shifted back, laughing at Antonio's look of shock. "As I said, a lot happens in seven years. It's rather boring, so I'll explain later. Anyways," Brooke motioned to the two rangers on the ground, grinning. "You two are on the ground, and I'm standing. So I think that means- fuck!" She let out a yelp of surprise when Antonio swept her booted feet out from underneath her. The silver ranger landed on her back, and Jayden let out a laugh.

"You got a lot cockier in seven years," Antonio commented with a grin, and Brooke rolled her eyes, sitting up.

"If I wasn't technically crippled right now, I'd kick your ass," Brooke grumbled, but both Antonio and Jayden knew it was acting. The silver ranger shook some of the dirt out of her hair, pointing a finger at the red. "You too, Red."

"Why? I did nothing." Jayden wondered, and Antonio helped Brooke to her feet.

Brooke shook her head. "It's gotta be even. I can't just beat up one of my childhood friends that I can't really remember. That's unfair to Antonio, so you're on the list, too." Brooke explained, and Jayden rolled his eyes with a smile.

"Let's get you home," Jayden responded, motioning to Brooke's ankle and standing up. "Antonio? Do you want to come back with us?" He asked the gold ranger, who beamed.

"I'll walk with you guys, and then I have some preparations to make before I meet Ji," Antonio explained, and both Jayden and Brooke raised their eyebrows. Antonio noticed their quizzical expressions and laughed. "It has to be golden," He explained, and Brooke picked up a small pebble and threw it at the gold ranger, who swatted it away. "Brooke, I can give you a piggyback ride, if you want. So you don't have to walk like that."

Brooke raised her eyebrows, her eyes flashing. After a moment of silence, the silver ranger grinned. "Why not. For old times' sake that I can't remember." She agreed, and Antonio grinned at Jayden, who scowled as Brooke hopped onto Antonio's back. He smelt faintly like fish- but more like the ocean, it was strangely fitting.

"Oh, we're not bringing _that_ back," Jayden warned, and Brooke furrowed her brows, looking at Jayden and then Antonio, well, the back of Antonio's head. The gold ranger kept Brooke on his back while also pulling his cooler behind him, it was actually quite impressive.

Antonio laughed. "We might, Jay. For old times' sake." The gold ranger teased, and Brooke made a noise of annoyance.

"You two are acting cryptic, share with the class." Brooke complained, and Jayden mouthed "don't you dare", to Antonio.

The red and gold rangers used to have a rivalry when they were younger, a completely innocent one that involved the silver. The two ten-year-olds would compete to see who got more attention from the girl- as they both had childhood crushes on her. And Brooke never caught on- or if she did, she couldn't remember. It was something Jayden was actually worried about because he didn't know if Antonio's feelings stayed the same over seven years as Jayden's did. Still, Jayden just ignored it to the best of his abilities- along with the jealousy, and turned his attention to Brooke.

"It's nothing," Jayden remarked, and Brooke pursed her lips, raising her eyebrows.

"Right, and I'm not the silver ranger," Brooke fired back, and Antonio let out a bark of laughter. "Anyways, _Jay?_ That's an old man's name." She teased, a wide grin growing on her face.

Antonio hummed in response. "You're still calling him Red." He retorted, and Brooke rolled her eyes.

"To be fair, when I met him for the first time- well, Red's second, he chased me into the woods-" Brooke started, and was cut off by Jayden.

"Because you _ran from us_ , Brooke. Antonio actually introduced himself, you just ran away." Jayden sighed, and Brooke hit him on the shoulder from where she was on the gold ranger's back.

Brooke snickered. "It was _funny,_ you can't be mad. Or at least, it was funny for me." She defended, and Antonio laughed while Jayden leveled a playful glare at the silver ranger, who deflected it with a cheeky smile.

"You two haven't changed much, well besides the wolf thing." Antonio summarized, and Brooke snorted while Jayden wore a small smile.

The other four heard the red, silver, and gold rangers' banter, wearing faint grins. "Well, he's not lying about being Jayden and Brooke's childhood friend," Mia concluded, glancing back at the three rangers. Brooke was on Antonio's back, her arms loosely wrapped around his neck, and Jayden had a careful eye trained on the pair as Brooke told the story of how she joined the team.

"The three might know each other- but it doesn't make Antonio a true samurai ranger." Kevin reminded the team, and Mike shot the blue ranger an exasperated look.

"C'mon, don't be a buzzkill!" Mike urged, hitting Kevin's shoulder lightly. "I mean- I've never seen Jayden talk that much unless it's during meetings. That's _gotta_ be a sign." He joked, and Brooke heard him, laughing quietly.

Antonio was technically a familiar face, and Brooke enjoyed the gold ranger's company. She could tell why she became friends with him and Jayden when she was little. The only wish Brooke had was that she could _remember them_ because she could tell that a younger her held the two in high regard. Still, it was like Jayden said, Brooke was here now, and that was enough, and she'd take it over not meeting the two again. It was better than nothing.


	13. old friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jayden does, in fact, get jealous easily, and Brooke realizes that the red ranger is good at patching up wounds. Antonio gets his dreams crushed, then with a "sparring therapy session", his dream gets fulfilled.

After Brooke had her ankle set in place by Mia- the silver ranger took her usual seat next to the red. Despite being so speedy, Antonio hadn't arrived, and the six rangers waited for him to show. Not that Brooke really minded, it gave her time to sort through her thoughts. A sense of guilt rose into her chest as she struggled to recall anything before the age of twelve- and it caused the silver ranger to curse under her breath. She wanted to remember something, _anything_ , about her time with Jayden and Antonio. But that wasn't the case, and Brooke let out a quiet sigh as she chewed on her bottom lip, eyes flashing.

Jayden noticed Brooke's internal conflict and nudged her shoulder with his own, snapping her out of her thoughts. "You were muttering to yourself again. Everything alright?" The red ranger asked the silver, who nodded.

"Yeah, just thinking," Brooke replied, leaning back on her hand, and then wincing slightly as a sharp pain flared through her injured hand. "I'm trying to force myself to remember the time with- oh, that's not good." She looked down at her hand and frowned at the blood staining the bandages a bright crimson.

"Let's get you to the med bay." Jayden urged, and the feeling of guilt from last night washed over him. Still, he tried to push it aside as Brooke shadowed him, the two rangers walking into the med bay.

Sitting down on one of the beds, Brooke unwrapped the bandages, inspecting the wound. It was better than it used to be- the blisters and swelling pretty much gone. Eyes flashing, Brooke turned her attention to Jayden, who gingerly treated the gash, his brows knit, blue eyes full of concern and guilt.

"Red, it's okay, it was an accident," Brooke reassured Jayden, noticing his guilty expression. "It looks worse than it feels, and _shit_ ," She let out a hiss as the disinfectant made contact with the wound, and Brooke grit her teeth slightly at the stinging sensation that covered her hand. "I've survived worse- much worse. It's okay, it was an accident." She repeated herself, flashing Jayden a small smile.

Jayden didn't return the smile, the red ranger having guilt etched on his face. "But still, it _happened_ ," He argued, his voice quiet as he bandaged Brooke's hand. "I hurt you." He muttered, and Brooke's eyes flashed.

"Red, I've been hurt by people who really want to hurt me- both physically and mentally. This is nothing, really, and I know you didn't mean to do it. The guilt you're showing is telling me that much, and I'm not going to hold it against you. Don't beat yourself up, okay?" Brooke reached for Jayden's hand with her uninjured one, and loosely intertwined her fingers with his. "It's okay, Red. I promise." She vowed, wearing a small smile.

"You're really something- I don't know how you're so calm," Jayden commented, his fingertips lightly tracing the scars that wrapped around Brooke's arms, feeling as she broke out in goosebumps. "Are these from a nighlok?" He questioned softly.

Brooke shook her head, and Jayden knit his brows. "James. My- my father. He knew that silver hurts more than anything else- and, well, you- you get the picture." Brooke stammered out the explanation, and Jayden's eyes widened.

"I didn't mean to trigger anything, Brooke- I'm sorry." Jayden quickly apologized, taking in Brooke's gold eyes and the way her shoulders shook.

"It's okay, you didn't know. I survived him- and I- I have you by my side now," Brooke laughed breathlessly, willing away her claws and tightening her grip on Jayden's hand. "And the team- I'm safe. Maxx's safe. We got out of there." She reassured someone- and Jayden didn't know if it was for him or for herself.

"I'll always be there for you," Jayden promised, and watched as Brooke relaxed somewhat, her eyes flashing and returning to a grey-gold.

"I appreciate that, Red. You don't know how much I appreciate it," Brooke murmured, and the pair sat in comfortable silence for a couple of moments, Jayden rubbing small circles on the back of her hand with his thumb. After Brooke collected her thoughts, she spoke again, wearing her traditional grin. "Well, let's see if Goldie's shown up yet." She announced, letting go of Jayden's hand and standing up.

Jayden rose from his seat as well, the silver and red rangers walking into the meeting room- the silver ranger's footsteps making no sound, per usual. What was strange was that the gold hadn't arrived yet, Brooke and Jayden sharing a confused look as they took their usual seats. From what Brooke had gathered, Antonio was _speedy_ , but now, he was technically late.

The others seemed to notice this too. "He's so fast when he's the gold ranger, I'm surprised he's not here already," Emily remarked, referring to Antonio as she took her seat.

"Just because he showed off when he beat that nighlok, doesn't mean he's fast at everything," Kevin remarked with a sigh, taking his seat, and Brooke turned her attention to Jayden, who raised his eyebrows.

"Were you guys like this with me?" Brooke asked, and Jayden shook his head.

"It was just general frustration, mostly. You didn't make things easy for us," Jayden replied, and watched how Brooke's eyes sparkled with mischief, the silver ranger holding her traditional grin on her face, revealing her sharper canines. "You seem awfully proud of yourself." He commented, watching fondly as Brooke snickered, nodding, a playful air surrounding the girl.

Still, the playful fell when Mia spoke. "We really don't know much about him- but at least Jayden can vouch for him." The pink ranger stated, and Jayden nodded slightly.

"Yeah, we were best friends, from the moment we met," Jayden spoke softly, recalling the memories with a faint smile.

_A ten-year-old Brooke walked behind ten-year-old Jayden, the two children walking through the market stalls. Jayden kept a tight hold on Brooke's hand, as the young girl's grey eyes flashed as her attention snapped from place to place. It was her first time in the market, and to say she was interested was an understatement. The two children stopped in front of a fish stall, Brooke wrinkling her nose slightly at the smell._

"His father owned the local fish market, and the times he, Brooke, and I played together were really only the times I felt like a normal kid," Jayden recalled, and Brooke wore a bittersweet smile, eyes flashing. She found Jayden's expression endearing- the way he wore a small smile, but it also caused a certain kind of sadness. She couldn't remember them as they did with her, and that just gave Brooke all the more incentive to get her memories back.

_An eleven-year-old Brooke, who had almost spent a full year- and celebrated her birthday at the Shiba House, played with a ten-year-old Antonio and an eleven-year-old Jayden in the snow. It was late February- the 28th, a day after Brooke's birthday and two days after Jayden's, but snow still covered the ground. The snow crunched under the three children's feet, laughter ringing out as they threw snowballs at each other._

Jayden's gaze slid to Brooke. "It drove Ji crazy, because they both distracted me from my training," The red ranger recalled, and the silver shot him a grin, which he returned with a small smile. "That was before they both had to move away." He murmured, and Jayden felt Brooke move closer to him slightly, the girl wearing a bittersweet smile, her eyes a grey-gold.

"But if Antonio moved away, how did he become the gold ranger?" Mia questioned, and Jayden furrowed his brows. That he didn't know, but Kevin saved him from answering.

"Wait," Kevin blurted. "He may have the skills- but he's not a true samurai. It doesn't run in his family, and he doesn't have any formal training." He exclaimed, standing up from his seat, and Brooke grimaced slightly.

"Kevin, I didn't have any formal training either- and Antonio proved to us he could hold his own fairly well," Brooke reminded Kevin, her eyes flashing as she quirked a brow at the blue ranger. "Plus, bloodlines aren't _everything_. They shouldn't be a determining factor- take it from me," She spoke softly, but her words had an air of seriousness to them. Perhaps it had to do with how they were friends in the past, but the silver ranger had a strong urge to defend the gold. Especially when he wasn't here to defend himself. "So, let's at least give him a chance, yeah? Hasty assumptions usually do more harm than good." Brooke urged, and watched as Kevin's defenses broke.

Still, Antonio was late, and fifteen more minutes had passed, all of the rangers, sans the silver and red, out of their seats. Well, Mike had just moved to a different chair, the noises of his game on his handheld device breaking the silence. Brooke was picking at the fraying part of the bandage on her hand until Jayden nudged her shoulder.

"You seem to hold Antonio in high regard already." Jayden pointed out- and he didn't even know why he was jealous. So, he just shoved that jealousy down into the basement of his mind, wearing a small smile.

Brooke smiled faintly. "It was the same way with you, even if I can't remember Antonio, or you, my feelings are still there from when we were kids. And I felt bad, he wasn't here to defend himself." She confessed sheepishly, her eyes flashing, and Jayden let out a small laugh.

"You were the same way when we were kids," Jayden remarked, and Brooke raised her eyebrows, curiosity shining in her eyes. "You always defended us and comforted us when we were upset, rushing to our sides whenever we needed it." He recalled, and Brooke smiled.

"Maxx calls it the big sister complex- the one who fights off the bullies and whatnot," Brooke spoke with a small laugh.

"I could see it," Jayden agreed, imaging the sight of the ten-year-old in her blue jeans and grey jacket. "You and your pigtails, I think I saw your hair down only a handful of times. Shorter hair suits you though." He added the last sentence to see Brooke flush somewhat, her eyes flashing.

Brooke felt her heart rate increase but ignored it. "You need to tell me more about when we were little. I'll share stories about disaster-Brooke as well- she was a _time_." The silver ranger recalled, and the red quirked a brow.

"Disaster-Brooke?" Jayden echoed, and Brooke grinned.

"I was a mess- I'm glad I didn't meet you at that time because I just wasn't right, if that makes sense? I had good grades and everything but, _yikes_ ," Brooke grimaced slightly at the memories- some of them rather happy, actually. "I had bangs and shorter hair than I do now, and I fucked up trying to dye my hair so my bangs and most of my hair ended up this weird dark grey color. I'll try to find a picture- my friend probably has some sort of blackmail of me." She was partly joking, but she also knew that Casper had an album on his phone labeled " _Brooke Wolfe chronicles_ ".

"Oh?" Jayden raised an eyebrow curiously as Brooke unlocked her phone, opening her messaging app.

The silver ranger let out a light laugh as happy memories resurfaced. "Yeah, his name's Casper, we've been friends for years at this point. Maxx and I used to stay with him and his mom when things got too bad," Brooke explained with a small smile. "He calls me Wolfie like I call you Red, 'cause a teacher pronounced the "E" on my last name once. I talk about you sometimes to him, all good things, don't worry." She added when she noticed Jayden's raised eyebrows.

"He seems like a nice guy," Jayden murmured, jealousy, _yet again_ , filling his gut as Brooke beamed and nodded happily. "I never imagined you would let yourself be called "Wolfie", it's a cutesy nickname." He added, and Brooke snorted.

"I used to get mad at him, but around the second day I just gave up," Brooke replied, and her phone buzzed. "Ah, he says hi. Here, I've got nothing to hide- he's just making fun of me." She moved so that Jayden could read the texts, the silver and red ranger's sides pressed together. Not that Jayden minded, having Brooke that close to him was a nice feeling. It quelled some of the jealousy he felt.

"He really does care about you," Jayden commented, reading the texts between Brooke and Casper. "Does he know about _everything_?" He asked, and Brooke's eyes flashed as she chewed on her bottom lip.

"Yes and no- a nighlok attacked me prom night of junior year, and he was with me at the time- and I didn't want to erase his memories. I- I know how it feels, after all, and I couldn't do that to him," Brooke stammered out, nervous and judging Jayden's reaction. He didn't seem angry, just somewhat curious, and that was good. "So I told him the basics, and he knows you guys- just because it means I can't see him as much now that I'm here. Other than that, he doesn't really ask, he just makes fun of me. I know it's technically against the samurai code or whatever-"

Jayden cut off Brooke's nervous rambling. "It's okay, look what's happening now. You're in the clear, and I can tell that you two care about each other." He stated, watching as Brooke visibly relaxed. Jayden was still jealous, of course, but he knew he couldn't act on it. Plus, he enjoyed seeing Brooke happy.

"That went much better than I thought it would," Brooke confessed with a sigh of relief. "Thank you." She smiled gratefully, and Jayden nodded with a ghost of a smile on his lips.

**Brooke** _: just told red about prom night_   
**Brooke** _: with the nighlok_

**Casper** _: bruh_   
**Casper** _: fucking weird ass night that was_   
**Casper** _: i assume he took it well bc you're not calling me_

**Brooke** _: yeah! he did!_

**Casper** _: jayden shiba come pick up ur crown, on some king shit_

"I didn't know you held my opinion in such high regard, _Wolfie_." Jayden teased with a faint laugh at Casper's text and watched as Brooke's face flushed. She seemed to be at a loss for words, and Jayden found that somewhat endearing as her eyes landed on a color more gold than grey.

"Well, _duh doy_ , you're the leader, Red," Brooke spoke after a couple of moments of silence, her teasing façade up again as the pink faded from her cheeks. "Gotta make sure I can actually have friends." She huffed, flicking his forehead lightly.

Jayden rolled his eyes with a faint smile. "Whatever you say, Brooke." He muttered under his breath, but Brooke still heard him, the silver ranger punching the red's shoulder lightly.

**Brooke** _: anyways_   
**Brooke** _: pictures, obsecro_

**Casper** _: when she's bilingual_

**Brooke** _: u know it ;)_

**Casper** _: alright wolfie_   
**Casper** _: sometimes i feel like the samurai stuff has gotten to ur head and made you cockier_

**Brooke** _: hurr durr_   
**Brooke** _: yeah yeah samurai ranger funny_

**Casper** _: okay wow_   
**Casper** _: that was incredibly mocking and I could tell. damn_   
**Casper** _: i feel bad for jayden bc you're MEAN  
_ **Casper** _: like ive known you for five years and this is how you treat me? smh_

**Brooke** _: casper_   
**Brooke** _: i mean this in the nicest way possible, but ur being dramatic_

**Casper** _: id love to hear you bully me more wolfie, but I gotta go to work_   
**Casper** _: have fun saving the world_   
**Casper** _: dont let be a bully to ur team_

**Brooke** _: go to work moron_

**Casper** _: bullying. but yeah, will do. stay safe, well, as safe as you can be_   
**Casper** _: just. don't be stupid. which is hard for you I know_

**Brooke** _: okay Maxx Wolfe damn_

**Casper** _: pfft. as I was saying. go save the world and do your samurai stuff, ily_

**Brooke** _: ily2_

"He seems nice. I can tell you two care about each other," Jayden murmured, ignoring the jealousy he felt as Brooke put her phone back into her pocket. "You seem happy. I'm glad." He commented, taking in the way Brooke's smile seemed a _little_ more genuine- the way her grey eyes sparkled.

"Well yeah," Brooke nudged his shoulder, smiling. "My two favorite people, getting along? Thought I'd never see the day. It makes me really happy- so, thanks, Red."

_Favorite person_. The comment alone caused Jayden's heart rate to increase, and he could feel the heat rising to his face. "Of course, Brooke." He answered, stammering some, and Brooke felt the corners of her lips twitch.

_Two can play this game, Jayden Shiba._

Still, the playful mood dropped as Ji paced, tapping his staff in his hand, lost in thought. "Did he say he was bringing the octozord with him?" Ji asked Mike, rather frantically, and the green ranger shrugged.

"Uh, I dunno, why?" Mike replied, looking up from his handheld game console for a moment, peering at Ji, and then returning his attention to his game.

"When Jayden was a boy," Ji started, and Brooke raised her eyebrows at Jayden, wearing a grin. The red ranger rolled his eyes in response at the silver's teasings, wearing a faint smile. "He gave it to Antonio when I wasn't looking." The older man explained, and the team seemed to grow somewhat shocked at that, sans Brooke. The silver ranger was just trying her hardest not to laugh.

"What? You have him a zord?" Emily exclaimed in disbelief, her eyes widening.

Jayden raised his hands in defense. "Look, I was a little kid, I didn't know any better." He defended, and Ji let out a sigh.

"You knew exactly what you were doing, you nearly gave Brooke a zord as well," Ji argued, and Brooke grinned.

"Which one was it?" The silver ranger teased the red, who rolled his eyes in response. "C'mon, Red. I gotta know, it's not like I can _remember_." Brooke urged, and Jayden let out a sigh, blue eyes meeting grey.

The four other rangers, plus Ji, watched as Jayden broke into a small smile- the older man being slightly concerned. He noticed that the two rangers were getting closer to each other, and Ji just hoped it didn't get in the way of their mission.

He let Jayden burn on, the red ranger's blue eyes sparkling with what seemed like adoration. "Mine. The lion zord." Jayden answered, and while he found Brooke's expression of mischief cute, he was also worried about what the girl was going to do.

" _I_ am the red ranger now." Brooke joked, snickering, and Jayden only nudged her shoulder lightly in response.

"By the time I found out, Antonio had already moved away, and I didn't think he'd find a way to activate it," Ji seemed to remember the memory as vividly as Jayden did, the older man letting out a sigh. "Jayden threatened to quit being a samurai if I tried to get it back."

"Like I said, I was a little kid." Jayden defended, but his tone was softer this time. He remembered that day vividly- Antonio had already moved away, Ji finding out about the octozord, and then Brooke had to leave. It wasn't a happy day in Jayden's memories, but he had his two childhood friends _back_.

Mike snickered. "Wow, such a rebel." The green ranger declared, his tone somewhat mocking.

"Sounds like you two were pretty close- I bet you missed him when he went away," Mia remarked softly, and Jayden nodded, letting out a small "yeah". The pink ranger's eyes slid to the silver, who was done with teasing, her eyes flashing as she propped a chin on her fist. "What about you, Brooke? Even without your memories- you seemed to be pretty close with Jayden right off the bat. Is it the same way with Antonio?" She questioned, and Brooke raised her head off of her fist, crossing her leg over her knee.

"It's like a _pull_. I can't really explain it in words, but it's just a feeling. I felt it- I still feel it with Red, and it's the same with Antonio," Brooke answered, her eyes flashing as she chewed on her lower lip. "It's like my brain knows we've met before, so- yeah. I dunno _fully_ , but it's still there- _huh_?" She cut herself off when the smell of the ocean assaulted her senses. It was faint, but coming closer every second.

The team noticed that the silver ranger was now on alert, her eyes flashing. "What do you smell? That's why you're wolfin' out, right?" Mike asked bluntly, and Brooke shot him a glare.

"Antonio- I'm thinking. He's the only one I know that smells like the ocean," Brooke replied, releasing the tension from her body. However, she grimaced when dress shoes slid across the wooden floors of the Shiba House, bringing her hands up to her ears subconsciously. "Wow, my hearing- _oh my god_." She muttered, sharing a look with Jayden.

The silver and red rangers just stared at their childhood friend, both rangers having dumbstruck looks on their faces. The gold ranger went to the nines- suit and all, with a _gold tie,_ but any formality he had was instantly canceled out by the fishing rod he rested on his shoulder. Brooke's eyes flashed a couple of times and then landed on a color that matched Antonio's tie, Brooke making a quiet noise of disbelief. _Oh, this was going to end horribly,_ both Brooke and Jayden thought, Jayden letting out a quiet sigh and pinching the bridge of his nose, Brooke just looking confused as all hell, her brows knit together.

Antonio did some moves with his fishing pole, seemingly showing off, but Brooke just was wondering _why a fishing pole. Why a suit?_ She remembered throwing acorns and bark at Jayden and landed a spot on the team, so surely this was _too much. Surely_. Brooke was intrigued, in a "can't look away from a car crash" sort of way.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Antonio called, the team, plus Ji, looking at the gold ranger in confusion mixed with curiosity (Brooke and Jayden), disappointment (Kevin and Ji), or a mix of excitement and amusement (Mike, Mia, and Emily). "I'd like to introduce to you, the seventh samurai, me, the _gold ranger_ , Antonio Garcia!"

_Okay, so it was funny._ Brooke shared a look of amusement with Jayden, the silver and red rangers laughing quietly at the gold. And their childhood friend, which was exciting to Jayden _and_ Brooke, because the silver ranger felt attached to the gold somehow. It was a strange sense to trust him, just like how Brooke got with Jayden.

"And you thought _I_ was cocky," Mike muttered to Ji, who raised his eyebrows in response.

In front of the six rangers and their mentor, Antonio adjusted the way he was holding his fishing rod. What the gold ranger didn't notice was the fish hook that attached itself to his blazer, the silver did. " _Christ_ ," Brooke muttered, her eyes still a steady gold. _Here comes the car crash._

"Jayden, please let me join your team in the fight against the nighlok," Antonio begged Jayden, and he tried to swing his fishing pole around. A loud rip came from the bottom of his blazer, and Antonio's eyes widened somewhat. "Oh, _that's not good_." He muttered, glancing over his shoulder.

The team, however, sans Kevin, found Antonio's struggles quite amusing, laughter bubbling from the five rangers that they tried to stifle. Another loud rip occurred, and Antonio took it in stride, breaking into a mix between a nervous and embarrassed smile. " _Ha ha ha_ , don't worry," Antonio's voice turned completely monotone, and that's when Brooke started to lose it, puffing out her cheeks slightly as her now grey eyes sparkled with amusement. "It's happened before. Not a lot or anything." Antonio added, and Brooke couldn't help it, she started laughing.

_It shouldn't even be this funny,_ Brooke thought as laughter came from her mouth, revealing her pointed canines. Something about the situation was just _funny_ , and the rest of the rangers seemed to agree, laughter bubbling around the six teenagers. All Brooke really knew is that Casper was going to get a kick out of the situation when she did tell him. Jayden noticed Brooke, the way a happy smile was etched on her face as the silver ranger watched at the gold, a bittersweet feeling- joy, and jealousy rising to the red's chest.

Still, Jayden laughed, the joy washing over the jealousy. "Can someone help him?" Jayden spoke through his laughter, getting up, and leaving the room.

Brooke noticed this and frowned, but before she could go after him, Ji was hot on the red ranger's heels. So, she just stood up from her seat and silently walked over to Antonio, smiling faintly. "C'mon Goldie, I thought you were supposed to be the fisherman." Brooke teased, unhooking the fish hook from Antonio's blazer. What she wasn't expecting was for the fisk hook to be _pure silver_ , and Brooke bit back her scream of pain as it burned her skin, droppong the fish hook.

Luckily, the others didn't seem to notice, and Brooke soon let out a noise of surprise when Antonio wrapped his arm around her shoulder. The gold ranger pulled the silver close to his side in a side-hug, and Brooke let him. "I can't believe it's you," Antonio spoke in disbelief, eyes sparkling as Brooke stepped away.

"Glad to meet you, for the second time, Antonio," Brooke murmured in response, watching as Ji walked back into the meeting room. "We can play catch-up, well, _sort of catch-up_ later, alright? Good luck." The silver ranger squeezed the gold's shoulder with her uninjured hand, flashing him a smile, and then going to find Jayden.

Partly because Brooke was worried about him, and partly because of the blisters that formed on the side of her finger and upper part of the palm in her hand. The only good thing about it was the fact the blisters were on her already injured hand. Other than that, it was _agony_. The blisters burnt like hellfire, and some of them had popped, blood dripping from the wounds. Brooke didn't want to get blood on the floor, so she just cradled her injured hand with her uninjured one, catching any blood that fell.

"Hey, Red," Brooke called to Jayden, who was sitting on one of the benches that the outdoor dojo offered. "Sorry to interrupt your brooding session, but, I, uh, need help." She explained when Jayden turned to her- his expression of slight happiness turning into concern quickly.

"No, it's okay," Jayden answered, getting up from his seat and walking over to Brooke. "What's- _Brooke_." He breathed out, answering his own question, grimacing at Brooke's hand.

"I'm sorry, I just- well, you see the issue." Brooke raised her hand slightly, and Jayden shook his head.

"It's okay, I'm glad to help," Jayden replied, reaching for Brooke's other hand, then realizing it was catching blood. "Let's go. How'd that even happen?" He questioned as silver and red rangers power walked to the med bay.

When the two reached the med bay, Brooke rested her arms on the edge of the sink in the room, watching as blood dripped from her hands and fingers into the basin. "Antonio's fish hook- it was silver, and my dumbass didn't realize that until too late," She replied, turning on the tap with her elbow and unwrapping the bandages on her hand. "And while I'm used to _this_ , it still hurts like a-" Brooke nearly screamed when the water made contact with the blisters.

Jayden was at her side in an instant, taking in Brooke's expression of pain, eyes a bright gold and canines fully grown in. Her lips curled around her canines, fully baring them as she grit her teeth. It was an expression that caused an immense fear to rise in Jayden's chest. He didn't know _why_ it scared him so much, but it just did. Still, Jayden pushed it aside as Brooke dried her hands to the best of her abilities.

"Thank you," Brooke murmured, her eyes flashing as she made eye contact with Jayden. "I can technically treat it by myself but it's kinda difficult- and I was kinda worried about you. You just left so suddenly." She added as Jayden grabbed the first aid supplies, him letting out a heavy sigh.

"I don't know what to think about Antonio- one part of my mind's telling me to welcome him, and another part doesn't want him getting hurt," Jayden replied as he treated Brooke's hand- and she noticed how _gentle_ he was. It was endearing. "It's the same with you, still, sometimes. You two are my best friends- my _only_ friends from when I was little, and I don't want to see you guys getting hurt."

"I get it," Brooke answered. "I mean- it's not the exact same but, Maxx got hurt from a nighlok once and I went missing for a week- and when the nighlok attacked me and Casper, I tried cutting him off. Seeing the people you care about getting hurt is terrifying. The feeling that you can't protect the people you care about is terrifying," She murmured, her voice quiet as Jayden finished treating the wounds. "Your feelings are valid, and it's all gonna work out like it always does."

"Like it always does," Jayden repeated in confirmation, a faint smile growing on his lips. "I can see the big sister complex coming out." He teased.

Brooke huffed, puffing out her cheeks some. "Someone's gotta make sure you're not brooding to death, and that person is me, Red." She fired back, and Jayden shook his head with a small smile.

"I'm not complaining," Jayden replied, noticing Brooke's genuine smile and the way pink dusted her cheeks lightly. "Ji told me he'll handle Antonio- that I'm too close to this." He added, and Brooke's eyes flashed as her smile fell.

"Then the poor boy is gonna get his dreams crushed," Brooke muttered, chewing on her bottom lip. "He's brave, and while I'm usually one for dramatics- I think Antonio's got me beat. My entrance wasn't this _flashy_ , was it?" She asked Jayden, who was still holding her injured hand gently.

"Yours was… something. It screamed "Brooke Wolfe", if that makes sense- the whole running away and being cryptic thing." Jayden answered, and Brooke grinned, raising her eyebrows.

"Hey, I'm here now- _oh no,_ " Brooke cut herself off when her hearing perked, eyes flashing and landing on a grey-gold color. She heard Antonio- not the words he was saying, but the frustration was obvious in his tone. Noticing Jayden's confused expression, Brooke frowned. "I think Goldie just got his dreams crushed- his voice sounds angry." She explained, and Jayden frowned.

"Should we go?" Jayden asked, and Brooke shrugged as she pulled her hair up in a quick ponytail.

"It's up to you, probably gonna be a train wreck," Brooke replied, and Jayden furrowed his brows.

Eventually, the red ranger seemed to make up his mind. "Let's go, just in case." He urged, and the silver ranger nodded, the pair leaving the med bay.

* * *

"...but I can hold my own out there and you _saw it!_ " Antonio's voice was full of frustration and anger, and Jayden didn't need Brooke's sense of hearing to figure that much out. The red and silver rangers nodded at each other, quickening their pace.

"For now I'm holding on to this," Ji spoke, his voice even as he held Antonio's morpher in his hand. Brooke felt her breath hitch and Jayden's eyes widened slightly as they both saw Antonio tense. "Okay?" Ji asked, tucking the gold ranger's morpher into his robes.

"No! Give it back!" Antonio yelled, getting ready to jump on the coffee table. However, Brooke moved quickly, wrapping one arm around his stomach, stopping him mid-jump with a growl

The silver ranger's eyes flashed as she set down the gold ranger- who's eyes widened slightly at his two childhood friends. "I get it, but don't let emotions dictate your decisions, Antonio. Calm down, rationally think about this. Don't be rash and do something stupid that could end up with you being hurt." Brooke somewhat demanded, concern in her tone, willing her inhumane features away.

The five other rangers just watched the silver and the gold as Brooke successfully made it so Antonio calmed down enough. It was definitely the "big sister complex" kicking in, and both Jayden and Antonio recalled multiple times where a ten-year and eleven-year-old Brooke used the same tone. It was bittersweet, and Antonio forced himself to relax somewhat. However, before Antonio could say anything, Brooke's samuraizer started beeping, the silver ranger taking the device out of her shirt pocket. As she pulled up the small map of Panorama, the gap sensor started blaring as well.

"Benton Street, the underpass," Ji announced, and five pairs of eyes slid to the silver ranger, who sighed.

"No shortcuts that I can think of," Brooke replied to the team's silent question, and Jayden nodded, his expression hardening.

"Let's go." The red ranger urged, the silver shifting and bounding towards the door.

Antonio stared at the brown wolf with wide eyes for a moment and then turned his attention to the team. "Wait! Jayden, I can come with you, right?" He called to Jayden, and Brooke felt bad, she really did. Antonio seemed to be too _energetic_ , too _sparkly_ , to have his dream denied, and the gold eyes of wolf-Brooke met the blue eyes of Jayden.

He seemed to have the same thought process, Jayden's eyes shining with guilt, and wolf-Brooke's ears twitching somewhat. The silver and red rangers- well, the brown wolf that was the silver ranger, launching into a silent conversation. Antonio didn't seem to catch on to his childhood friends and spoke again.

"Tell Ji how you made me a samurai- how I'm supposed to fight by your, and now Brooke's, side." Antonio's tone showed his desperation, and Brooke's heart broke. Something in her heart was saying to console the gold ranger, and she _wanted to_. However, the brown wolf knew she couldn't, and could only watch as Jayden set his jaw.

"Ji is right, this isn't little kid stuff anymore," Jayden replied, wetting his dry lips. He didn't want to do this- he cared about Antonio, and Jayden averted his gaze so he didn't have to see his childhood friend's broken expression. "I'm so sorry, but you aren't truly a samurai, and we don't need a seventh ranger." Jayden forced out, sounding like he was reading from a book, and wolf-Brooke shot Antonio a sympathetic expression, gold eyes shining with guilt.

"But-" Antonio started, but Jayden cut him off.

The red ranger tightened his hands into fists, avoiding looking at the gold. "I'm sorry," Jayden's voice was barely above a whisper- and Brooke picked up on the guilt in his tone. Still, Jayden settled back into his emotionless act quickly. "Let's go!" He commanded, his voice hard.

While the others ran out of the Shiba House, Brooke stayed back, shifting back for a moment. Ji had left the meeting room as the rangers ran out, so he didn't notice Brooke. Still, she knew she had to be sneaky. " _We'll find a way_ ," She mouthed to Antonio, watching he perked up, eyes sparkling once again. "Keep your head up, Goldie. It's gonna work out." Brooke promised quietly, the silver ranger flashing the gold a small smile and then sprinting out of the Shiba House, her footsteps silent.

You see, Brooke had lied about there not being any shortcuts. She just didn't want the others using them- at least right now. So, the brown wolf reached the Benton Street underpass before the rest of the team did. Brooke shifted back, her eyes flashing as she spotted the nighlok- which looked like a twister formed out of blades.

The nighlok was slashing at a businessman who was holding up two cardboard boxes as a makeshift shield, and Brooke summoned her Wolf Kunai, quickly sliding the wolf disk onto the weapon. "Hey, Twister! Pick on someone your own size! _Lone Wolf_!" The silver ranger yelled, spinning the wolf disk and slashing, and the silver attack hit the nighlok, causing it to stumble back some.

"Ah, silver ranger. Xandred told me about you," The twister nighlok sneered, and Brooke remained calm as the silver suit materialized on her body. The businessman saw his chance and took it, sprinting out of the area as both Brooke and the nighlok pointed one of their swords at each other. "Where are your little teammates?"

"Right here," Jayden spat, eyeing Brooke. He knew she'd been doing _something_ , as he noticed that she hung back when the team left the Shiba House. Making the mental note to ask her about it later, Jayden focused on the battle at hand. "Everything alright?" He asked quietly, noticing how the silver ranger eyed the nighlok and tensed.

"The blades on his body look silver," Brooke answered, her eyes turning a pure gold color. Luckily, the ranger suits were somehow _blade proof_ , Brooke also thanked the fact that she was covered head to toe. "But it should be fine. Hopefully."

The red ranger nodded, reminding himself to stay by the silver's side this battle. The nighlok fired out a witty remark, which Mike retorted, and then the battle began. Despite Jayden wanting to stay by Brooke's side, the silver ranger had her own plans, never staying in one place for too long. Which was fine, the three male rangers fighting the nighlok in the front, and the girls attacking the monster's back. Brooke felt her resolve falter some as she jumped back before the blades that sprouted out of the nighlok's back could skewer her, Mia and Emily not being so lucky.

The yellow and pink rangers hit the ground forcefully, and soon the blue and green were on the ground as well. The silver ranger regrouped with the red, tightening her grip on her katanas. "This is what I was worried about, it's speedy." She muttered, and the two rangers settled into fighting stances.

"Soon it'll be nothing but a memory." Jayden challenged, and Brooke snorted, the two rangers running forward and settling into their usual routine as they attacked.

Brooke dodged the nighlok's swords- and the blades on its body, her and Jayden hopping onto a car. The silver ranger sheathed one of her blades quickly and grabbed the red's arm as he lost his footing, preventing him from falling. "Work on your balance, yeah?" Brooke teased as she let go of Jayden's arm, blocking one attack with her katana, Jayden blocking the second with his spin-sword.

"Whatever you say, Brooke." Jayden fired back sarcastically as the two rangers hopped off the car, regaining their composure and pointing their swords at the nighlok.

"Can you take the heat?!" The nighlok threatened, attacking _the car._ Still, the attack caused sparks to fly, the car now ablaze. The sparks blurred the silver and red ranger's vision, the two stumbling back some. The nighlok's eye glowed, and Brooke made her move, sheathing her katanas and pulling out her samuraizer, flipping the device open and activating the brush portion.

_"Full Body Blades!"_

_"Protection!"_

The blades that came from the nighlok's body hit the silver shield that was the protection symbol, shattering on impact. Brooke rooted her silver booted feet to the ground, clutching her samuraizer tightly in her hand as the shield protected both her and Jayden. The nighlok's body started greying and cracking, the monster retreating its blades back into its body.

"Aw man, lucky for you, I'm drying out! You won't be so lucky next time," The nighlok threatened, more cracks appearing on its body. "Sorry to cut this short, but, gotta go!" The monster called, disappearing into a crack with a flash of dark red.

"Is everyone okay?" Jayden asked, he and Brooke demorphing, Brooke flipping her samuraizer shut and putting it in the pocket of her t-shirt. Her hand stung and burned some, but wasn't bleeding, so Brooke didn't really worry about it too much.

"Man, that nighlok had some nasty moves," Mike complained, the four other rangers demorphing, the six launching in their pseudo meeting.

"Yeah," Jayden agreed, his voice hard. "We'll have to come up with a new strategy." He announced, feeling a tension headache starting to form. Which were getting more and more frequent, but Jayden didn't like them. They were aggravating, and the red ranger let out a quiet groan of annoyance, the silver hearing him and shooting him a concerned glance, which he didn't notice.

Mia's voice was hesitant when she spoke. "Maybe the new strategy we need... is another ranger." The pink ranger offered, the red letting out a sigh as his head pounded.

"Yeah," Jayden agreed, turning at walking back to the Shiba House. "You might be right."

* * *

Mia had explained her plan to get Antonio on the team, and Brooke had been sent to find Antonio. Not that she minded, she still had the urge to comfort the gold ranger, especially when she saw him talking to his octozord, and also _fishing_. The wolf zord instantly noticed the other zord's presence, the silver and black parallelogram unfolding to reveal the mechanical wolf. The wolf zord tried to play with the octozord, barking happily as the robotic squid tried to swat at it with a tentacle.

Antonio, who was now dressed in his usual street clothes, heard the wolf zords happy barks, glancing at the zord and furrowing his brows. However, his confused expression turned to one of faint joy as he saw the zords owner walking towards him. "Brooke," Antonio called softly as Brooke walked up, her thumbs hooked on the belt loops of her denim shorts, her footsteps making no noise on the wooden dock. "You're quiet." The gold ranger added, and the silver snorted.

"Not the first time I've heard that one," Brooke replied, smiling faintly. "Have room for one more?" She asked, and Antonio slid over in his seat some, making room for Brooke, who avoided hitting his gold fishing pole as she sat down. "First, I just wanted to check up on you. How're you feeling?" Grey eyes met brown, and Antonio laughed faintly.

"You're still the same after seven years," Antonio commented with a small smile, and Brooke's eyes flashed as she quirked a brow. "You always checked up on us- and it looks like you're doing it now." He explained, and Brooke wore a bittersweet smile.

"Gut feeling, Goldie. Even if I can't remember you- I have the urge to trust you," Brooke replied, turning her attention to her wolf zord and the octozord. "Leave it alone, bud. C'mon." She commanded, holding out her bandaged hand, the wolf zord galloping through the air and landing in it.

As the zord folded up into its parallelogram, Antonio eyed the bandages in concern. "Are you alright?" He asked, and Brooke nodded, attaching the zord to her belt loops again.

"I cut myself accidentally, nothing major. It looks worse than it is," Brooke replied, blatantly lying, turning her gaze to the horizon. "Are _you_ alright though? Ji, and Red, were harsh- I feel like I should apologize on their behalf." She was partly joking, and Antonio let out a stressed laugh.

"I mean, I figured it would happen. It still hurts, though," Antonio admitted. "I knew I got my hopes up, but seeing you and Jay again just made me _happy_. I didn't even know you were a samurai." The gold ranger murmured to the silver, whose eyes flashed.

"I didn't either. Not until I was fifteen and came here," Brooke replied, leaning back on her hands some. "I didn't have the proper training either- I suppose you haven't seen my fighting style, but, I don't fight like the others either. A large amount of that is because I'm a shifter- how I turn into a wolf and stuff, and the team was wary at first. They tried not to show it, but even Red seemed a little cautious about it. So, I rambled, but, I feel like you and I are the same in some ways." She smiled sheepishly, eyes flashing, and Antonio laughed faintly.

"It's fine, I like hearing you talk. I have since we were kids, you always told good stories," Antonio replied, and Brooke flushed somewhat, a ghost of a smile on her lips and cheeks pink. "But yeah, we do have some things in common. Silver and gold ranger, well, not a ranger." He muttered, and Brooke frowned.

Grey eyes flashed gold, and Brooke turned her attention to Antonio again. "Hey, don't be like that. Red's just grumpy, per usual, and the others are working on that. Mia's trying to win him over right now, and I'm technically supposed to just be collecting you but," Brooke crossed her leg over her knee, accidentally hitting the fishing rod. " _Oh, fuck me._ " The silver ranger cursed as she reached for the fishing rod before it could fall into the ocean, Antonio grabbing her arm before she could fall into the ocean.

"I usually don't fish wolves out of the ocean, and am not planning to start today," Antonio teased as Brooke huffed and regained her balance. Taking the fishing rod from Brooke's hand, he grinned. "You _are_ a catch though." He added, watching as Brooke stiffened, making a noise of surprise.

_"Christ, Antonio."_ Brooke choked out, her cheeks and the tips of her ears bright red. Her brain short-circuited- the silver ranger losing all train of thought as she stared at the gold, who just raised his eyebrows with a grin.

"What?" Antonio feigned ignorance, and Brooke lightly punched his arm, letting out a whine.

Brooke huffed, wishing the heat to her face would just _go away._ "Y'know what- we're going back. C'mon, fish boy." She hopped up from her seat, and Antonio laughed at her flustered response, putting his fishing rod away and following Brooke down the pier and towards the Shiba House.

Antonio knew for a fact Jayden would be scowling at him right now if he saw that interaction go down- and something about that was _funny_. "It's good to have you back, Brooke." He stated, and Brooke rolled her eyes with a grin.

"Yeah, yeah, good to meet you," Brooke fired back, the red on her cheeks and the tips of her ears subsiding. "Seriously though, I'm trying to get my memories back. I'm sorry I can't remember you." She apologized, her voice much softer as the two walked down the streets of Panorama.

"It's alright, you can't control getting your memories wiped," Antonio replied, and Brooke snorted, gravel crunching under Antonio's gold sneakers and Brooke's doc martens. "It's just good to see you again." He murmured, and Brooke smiled genuinely at him as they reached the Shiba House.

Once the silver and gold rangers reached the Shiba House, the plan was in motion. "Okay, so, we're looping around back," Brooke announced, shifting, the brown wolf bouncing across the grass. Antonio shadowed her, letting out a quiet laugh at wolf-Brooke's actions and shadowing the brown wolf.

* * *

Things weren't so happy alongside Jayden's end- and he wished he could just _be alone. But, here he was._ Sparring with Mia, and the pink ranger was trying to get him to open up, but the red was just getting somewhat annoyed and responding flatly. He had just wanted to sit or train by himself, as Brooke was somewhere he didn't know, and that was somewhat worrying. Jayden didn't even know why he was worried, he just _was_. _And the damn headache_ \- God, Jayden tried to not let his annoyance mixed with general frustration show, but it was hard.

He knew Mia was going to bring up Brooke- and how she was on the team but not Antonio, so Jayden just mentally prepared himself for that.

"Leading us on dangerous missions is hard on you, I understand. But Brooke's an old friend as well, and putting two old friends on dangerous missions is too much pressure- putting one is already enough pressure." Mia argued, and Jayden let out a quiet groan of annoyance. _There it was._

"I worry about Brooke too, but-" Jayden defended, blocking Mia's swing before it connected with the back of his knee. _I probably worry about her too much._ "Think what you want." His tone was sharper than he meant for it to be, but _it is what it is_.

Brooke knew why Jayden wasn't defending himself- he couldn't without bringing up some of the things that Brooke shared with _only him for a reason_. And she thanked him for that.

Still, Jayden Shiba was _stubborn as hell._ Brooke knew she could probably get through him faster than Mia did, and shifted back, getting ready to walk over there and just talk with Jayden. Instead of doing whatever " _sparring match therapy session_ " the red and pink rangers were doing now. Antonio and Brooke just shared a look with each other, the silver and gold rangers just watching the scene unfold.

This would've been so much easier if it was just the three of them, and Brooke and Antonio both knew that. "So, what the fuck are we doing now?" Brooke whispered to Antonio, eyes flashing.

"We're going to do it the way we did it as kids, just arguing with him until he gives in," Antonio responded, and Brooke furrowed her brows.

"Fine, fine," Brooke grumbled, her eyes flashing. "I, frankly, _don't_ want Red pissed at me, but I'll make an exception for you, Goldie." She added, and Antonio grinned and grabbed her wrist.

"Mia's right and you know it," Antonio announced, stepping out from his hiding spot and pulling Brooke with him. "We both know the risks- and you need my help." He argued, dropping Brooke's wrist, and Jayden quirked a brow at Brooke. Blue eyes met grey-gold, and Brooke mouthed "I'm sorry".

"Listen, Red. This isn't going the way I thought it was, but, still," Brooke let out a sigh, running a clawed hand over his face. "Remember what you told me? That the nighlok _are_ getting stronger- and that's why you wanted me on the team. It's the same now, and Antonio and I both don't hold you accountable for our actions." She argued, her voice soft, tapping the toe of her doc martens on the ground.

"Antonio, Brooke- we've already talked about this-" Jayden started, and Brooke shot him a deadpan expression.

However, before Brooke could say anything, Mike stepped in. "We're savin' the world here!" He announced, walking through the doors and into the outdoor dojo. "How could an extra ranger not help?" The green ranger asked the red, raising his eyebrows.

Jayden shot an exasperated look at Brooke and Antonio, his two childhood friends snickering. "Listen, Red. We're not ten anymore, we can all hold our own. You know that, and you don't have to protect us anymore, _it's okay._ Antonio and I aren't going to hold anything against you if we get hurt- you know damn well I don't," Brooke argued, raising her bandaged hand slightly for emphasis. "And from what I've gathered from the hours I've known Antonio- he's the same way." She added, and Antonio nodded, smiling.

"Brooke's right-" Antonio started, but Brooke's samuraizer cut him off.

The silver ranger pulled her samuraizer out of her pocket, flipping it open as the gap sensor started blaring. "The northern peninsula construction site," Brooke announced, looking up from her samuraizer and raising her eyebrows at Jayden. "Don't be a hard ass, Red." She urged, ignoring Jayden's glare.

"Jayden, please," Antonio begged, holding out his hand slightly. "Let me have my samurai morpher."

_The three children sat on one of the benches that the outdoor dojo, Brooke swinging her legs back and forth slowly. "Even if we're far apart- we're still gonna stay friends. I promise it." She promised, and Jayden nodded._

_"We'll always be friends," Jayden added, and Antonio beamed._

_"Right! I'll keep training, and when you become red ranger- I'll come back and be a samurai too, so we can save Brooke!" Antonio remarked, and Brooke puffed out her cheeks slightly._

_The black-haired girl shook her head, pigtails swinging. "I can save myself, I'll be the one saving you guys!" Brooke announced, hopping off the bench and pointing at Jayden and Antonio. "I'll be stronger than both of you! Just you wait!"_

"I won't let you down," Antonio vowed sincerity in his voice. "This has always been my dream- plus, we gotta save Brooke, remember?" He joked, and Brooke's eyes flashed as she looked at Antonio and then Jayden.

"I can save myself, thank you very much. Been doing it for years," Brooke huffed, swatting away Antonio's hand before he could ruffle her hair. "In fact, I think I've saved Red more times than he's saved me at this point. So, Goldie, it's your turn to be the damsel in distress." She lightly elbowed Antonio in the side, and both he and Jayden shared a fond smile at the girl's actions.

"Antonio," Jayden announced, and Brooke stopped her teasing routine, fully alert, and the red ranger took in the way his two childhood friends looked at him. _He had missed them._ "You are the seventh samurai ranger." He declared, holding out the morpher to its owner.

Antonio took his morpher out of Jayden's hand. "Alright, you won't regret this." He promised, beaming, and Brooke found the expression endearing.

Blue eyes scanned the silver and gold rangers, the red breaking into a happy smile. "Let's go." He commanded, the three childhood friends running off to save the world- like how they pretended to when they were kids.

* * *

The team, which now had seven rangers, reached the construction site fairly quickly, Brooke shifting bad into a human and not breaking her stride. It was the twister blade nighlok from before, accompanied by some moogers, and it noticed the seven rangers- who had all lined up in their usual line.

Well, except Antonio- he was struggling somewhat, and Brooke bit back her laughter as the gold ranger kicked away some empty oil drums, and the silver ranger shared an amused look with the red. Jayden just shook his head with a faint smile on his lips as Antonio lined up next to Mia.

_"Samuraizer: Go Go Samurai!"_

_"Samurai Morpher: Gold Power!"_

The seven rangers yelled in unison, flipping open their samuraizers, and Brooke activating the brush portion of hers, Antonio spinning his morpher in his hand. The rangers' respective symbols in their respective colors appeared- and the seven activated the symbols, morphing into their ranger suits quickly.

_"Rangers together, Samurai forever!"_

"Y'know rangers, forever is a long time!" The nighlok sneered, commanding the moogers surrounding it to attack.

The seven drew their spin-swords, the silver ranger with her katanas and the gold with his barracuda blade. The original six ran forward, the battle commencing, and the gold ranger just watched in awe for a couple of moments, until Brooke's whistle snapped him out of his trance.

"C'mon, Goldie!" Brooke yelled over the sounds of battle, performing a backwards handspring. Her booted foot clipped a mooger in the chin, and when the silver ranger landed, she twirled, cutting down multiple moogers- her blades and suit shining in the light. Brooke glanced at Antonio, and an impressed look came over her face as the gold ranger cut down multiple moogers in rapid succession- moving almost too fast that the human eye couldn't see his movements.

Still, Brooke turned her attention to the battle at hand, switching out her blades for her Wolf Kunai. Her hand stung somewhat, so she slashed with the weapon in her uninjured hand, regrouping with Jayden. She cut down a mooger that was far too close for her liking, kicking it away as it fell to the dirt.

"You wanna wrap this up?" Brooke asked Jayden as she ducked under his Fire Smasher before it could take off her head.

Jayden nodded. "Yeah, let's end this part. _Fire Smasher!_ " He yelled, swinging his Fire Smasher in a wide circle and setting the moogers ablaze, Brooke instantly following up.

" _Wolf Kunai!_ " Brooke spun the kunai in her hand once, pointing it at the sky. The leaf-shaped blade lit up silver, and the silver ranger copied Jayden's movements, swinging her kunai in a circle. A large silver attack surrounded the silver and red rangers, hitting the now ablaze moogers and successfully killing them.

"Good one you two!" Antonio remarked, clapping Jayden on the shoulder and nudging Brooke.

"Thanks, Goldie," Brooke thanked with a small smile, noticing the nighlok's eye flash out of the corner of her eye. She made quick work of pulling out her samuraizer and activating the brush portion, starting to draw the symbol. " _Protection_!" She screamed, activating the symbol.

The translucent silver shield appeared and absorbed the nighlok's scattershot move, the silver ranger gritting her teeth as the shield cracked some. Still, the symbol did its job, and some of the scattershot blades reflected off of it, causing a large explosion when they made contact with the ground. The three rangers were unharmed, the silver hitting the gold ranger's side lightly with her elbow and nudging the red's shoulder with her own.

"How's "saving Brooke" going? 'Cause I think what just happened was _me_ saving _you_." Brooke teased rather cockily, flipping her samuraizer shut and putting it back in the pouch on her belt.

Jayden rolled his eyes under his helmet with a smile. "Whatever you say, Brooke," He replied, then turning his attention to the four other rangers. "Take cover guys! Antonio, Brooke, we're handling this creep ourselves!" Jayden commanded his team, the silver ranger standing in the middle of the gold and the red.

"Yeah, just like how we were kids!" Antonio cheered, and Brooke smiled underneath her helmet as she scanned the area.

"I've got an idea, handle Twister for a bit. I'll catch him by surprise." Brooke sheathed her Wolf Kunai and felt heard her bones crack some- getting ready to shift.

"Stay safe." Jayden urged, his Fire Smasher turning back into his spin-sword in a flash of red.

Brooke grinned, stepping back from her spot in the middle of the two rangers, spinning on her heel. "Always am!" She called over her shoulder, shifting, and the two watched as the brown wolf's fluffy tail disappeared from view.

"Does she always act like this in battle?" Antonio wondered as he unsheathed his barracuda blade, and Jayden laughed faintly.

"It's Brooke being, well, Brooke," Jayden replied, a hint of adoration in his voice as he readied his sword. "We've just gotta trust her! C'mon!" He commanded, and the gold and red rangers ran forward.

Meanwhile, the brown wolf hopped up onto one of the heavy equipment that the construction site offered. She spotted Antonio and Jayden pushing the nighlok back as they attacked, and Brooke grinned, shifting back and crouching somewhat, unsheathing her Wolf Kunai.

"Nice try! Full Body-" The nighlok started, it's eye flashing, and Brooke made her move, leaping into the hood of the heavy equipment and running forward, using the hood as a footstool to fling herself through the air.

" _Lone Wolf!_ " Brooke yelled, spinning the wolf disk on her kunai, the weapon lighting up silver. She did what she wanted to do, which was catch the nighlok off-guard, and landed two powerful strikes. The silver ranger then rolled over her shoulder as she made contact with the ground, jumping back up quickly. "Let's end this!" The silver ranger called to the gold and the red, who nodded.

Antonio put the red and white checkered disk on his barracuda blade, Jayden putting the lion disk on his spin-sword, he and Brooke spinning their respective disks. The blades of their weapons lit up gold, red, and silver respectively, the three childhood friends attacking.

_"Barracuda Blade: Barracuda Bite!"_

_"Spin-sword: Blazing Strike!"_

_"Wolf Kunai: Full Pack!"_

The multiple multicolored attacks hit the nighlok, the silver ranger regrouping with the gold and the red. The nighlok exploded, the three rangers lowering their weapons as the team ran up. The four other rangers congratulated the three for a moment, then the nighlok appeared, growing to its second form.

Brooke and Antonio let the five original rangers go into megamode power and try to deal with the nighlok. "Looks like it's Red's time to be saved," Brooke snorted as the samurai megazord fell thanks to the nighlok's full-body blades attack. "C'mon, it's a sparkly ranger union! It's showtime!" The silver ranger urged the gold, pulling out her wolf zord.

"A sparkly ranger union, huh? That sounds great." Antonio laughed, opening his morpher and texting the octozord, the two rangers going into megamode power.

"It's time to finish you off!" The nighlok threatened, sauntering over to the fallen samurai megazord. Before it could attack, however, the octozord sprayed a black cloud, blinding the nighlok. The wolf zord lunged with a growl, pushing the nighlok aside and standing in front of the samurai megazord protectively, striking a defensive stance as its metal tail wagged slowly.

"Wait, Jayden, if the octozord is originally from your family-" Mia started, the pink ranger looking at the red, who got the message.

"Good thinking! You hear that, Antonio?" The red ranger called to the gold through the comms, who then connected the octozord with the samurai megazord.

Brooke grit her teeth somewhat at that- annoyed by the fact her wolf zord couldn't combine with the samurai megazord. It was because the wolf zord was apart of the Wolfe family. Brooke didn't even really know why the original Wolfe chose to separate themselves from the Shiba Clan, it was all confusing. Brooke was scouring her archives for a symbol or something that could allow her to connect with the samurai megazord- but hasn't been lucky enough to find one.

Still, she could fight. And Brooke would take it. With a couple of attacks from the wolf zord and the octozord's spear thrust ice breath combo, the rangers eventually fired off their finishing attacks.

_"Katana Power: Samurai Strike!"_

_"Full Pack!"_

As the nighlok exploded, the megazord and the wolf zord struck their victory poses. "Samurai Rangers-" Jayden started, but was cut off by Antonio, and the rangers heard Brooke's laughter through the comms.

"This calls for a _fish fiesta_ when we get home! I did it!" The gold ranger called, and the red stared at him for a moment.

Brooke heard all of this godown, leaning on the control panel of her zord as she tapped her foot on the ground of the cockpit of her zord. When Jayden said the final line, Brooke said it with him, her voice barely audible.

_"Samurai Rangers: Victory is Ours."_

* * *

" _Vamos a comer_ ," Antonio called softly, and Brooke raised her eyebrows with a grin. It was just the silver and gold rangers at the moment, as Jayden was talking with Ji off to the side, and the team was doing something or another inside of the Shiba House.

"Ah, when he's bilingual." Brooke teased, lightly knocking Antonio's shoulder, her eyes flashing.

Antonio felt his heart rate increase some but he ignored it, smiling at Brooke, and she noticed the faint shade of pink on his cheeks. "You betcha. Do you know Spanish?" He asked, and Brooke shook her head, leaning against the counter next to the grill, watching as Antonio served fish onto a plate. It smelt good, and Brooke was glad that they at least had someone to be on cooking duty instead of Mia.

"I'm a Latin kind of girl, it's a Wolfe family thing. And four years in school, so I'm practically bilingual," Brooke replied with a grin. " _Vamos a comer_ is "let's eat", right? So, in Latin, it would be _cibum sit scriptor._ "

"Okay, why is Brooke speaking in tongues now?" Mike questioned jokingly as the team walked up, the silver ranger shooting the green a glare.

Mia looked at the fish and beamed. "This looks almost as good as my baked beans, mustard, mint fish casserole I make!" She stated happily, and Brooke's eyes settled on a grey-gold.

" _Christ_ ," Brooke muttered so only Antonio could hear, and he looked up from the grill, amusement shining in his eyes as he glanced at Brooke. The two made eye contact and Antonio grinned, Brooke rolled her eyes with a smile.

Kevin visibly gagged, and Emily and Mike grimaced, at Mia's food combination. Still, when Mia turned to glance at the three rangers, they all forced smiles, nodding.

Jayden watched the team, and he and Brooke made eye contact, the silver ranger waving a small wave, the red laughing at the girl's antics. "Things changed on me so fast. First taking on the team, then Brooke, and now Antonio," Jayden mused, his voice soft. "It's not like it when it was just us." He commented, watching as Brooke laughed at a joke Mike made, revealing her sharper canines. It was a good thing. _Change is good_ , Jayden thought.

Meanwhile, Brooke watched as Jayden talked with Ji. "Goldie, do you have something small I can throw?" She asked, and Antonio raised his eyebrows with a grin.

Spying a pebble on the ground, Antonio picked it up, handing it to Brooke, who's grin grew wider, eyes flashing. "You still a good shot like you were when we were kids?" He asked, and Brooke snickered.

"I think so," Brooke replied, readying the pebble. The four others sitting at the table watched this go down, noticing the amusement sparkling in the silver and gold ranger's eyes. " _It's showtime_." The silver ranger's eyes flashed and she flung the pebble with precision.

It hit Jayden in the chest as he was walking towards the team, and he stopped in his tracks to shoot Brooke a glare, who smiled cheekily in response, and the five other rangers laughed faintly. Picking up the pebble, the red ranger flung it back at the silver, who ducked and dodged it.

"You missed!" Brooke called to Jayden with a wide grin, and he rolled his eyes in response as he walked up.

"The fact that you just let her do this, Antonio, is something else," Jayden remarked to Antonio, who pointed his spatula at the red ranger in response.

"Hey, you and I both know that that's a waste of energy," Antonio fired back, and Brooke snickered, grey eyes sparkling with mischief. "Plus, it's the sparkly ranger union now." He added, and Jayden quirked a brow as Brooke nodded.

"Yeah, Red. We came up with it when you got your ass kicked in the megazord." Brooke agreed, standing up fully from where she was leaning on the counter. She was still shorter than the two by a couple of inches, but Jayden and Antonio both remembered the time when Brooke was taller than both of them.

Jayden rolled his eyes and laughed faintly. He felt somewhat jealous but pushed it aside. "It's good to have you two back. You're worth your weight in gold," Blue eyes slid to Brooke, and she quirked a brow, her eyes flashing. " _And silver._ " He added and watched as Brooke rolled her eyes with a smile.

"God, you're horrible," Brooke huffed in false annoyance, puffing out her cheeks slightly. "But, seriously, I'm glad to be here. Even if I can't remember you guys right now, I'll get my memories back." She promised and felt Antonio ruffle her hair as Jayden smiled at her.

_I'll do it for you both._


	14. family matters (part one of two)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brooke realizes that sliding down a mountain at two in the morning to get a disk is not her favorite activity in the world. Nate Wolfe just wants his daughter back.

After breakfast, Brooke found herself sitting at the head of the table in the meeting room, next to Jayden, per usual. Antonio sat across from his two childhood friends, a wooden pot full of water in front of him. In the pot, a gold zord was sitting in the water- which made Brooke wonder. _Wouldn't it break the zord?_ Since the zords were technically robots and all. But, that obviously wasn't the case, since this zord- which was a golden lobster that Brooke found cute, was just sitting in the water. Quirking a brow, the silver ranger inspected the gold zord from her seat, grey eyes flashing and landing on a color that was similar to the zord.

Jayden noticed Brooke's curiosity and felt the corners of his lips twitch as the two watched their childhood friend present the golden zord with a flourish. "Behold!" Antonio started, motioning to the zord. "This is our new and improved friend, the claw zord." He introduced the claw zord, who chirped from its pot of water, and a faint smile appeared on Brooke's lips. _It was cute._

"Where did you get this?" Jayden wondered, glancing at the golden zord and then the gold ranger.

"The claw zord was battle damaged years ago, so I hid it away," Ji answered, and Brooke raised her brows. It seemed fine, though she supposed Antonio had fixed it up some.

Antonio's pride was evident in his tone, and he radiated enthusiasm. "Ji asked to perform some on my tech whiz magic." He explained, and Jayden made a noise of confusion- which Brooke thought was cute.

"I wanted to see if he could actually do it," Ji muttered to Jayden, and Brooke pretended to not hear the older man. She found it amusing when the team forgot about her hearing- _sometimes._ The times where it was overwhelming? That was a different story.

"It's pretty simple," Antonio declared, flipping open his morpher and starting to text a symbol. "I just text over some samurai power symbols to reprogram him. The claw zord will be back in business soon." The gold ranger flipped his morpher shut, pride shining in his eyes.

"So you've been using electronic symbols?" Mia questioned, and Antonio beamed.

"Welcome to the 21st century," Antonio announced, pointing at Mia with a wide smile.

"Impressive, but this is the work of a computer nerd, not a samurai," Kevin stated, and the happy mood fell, Brooke and Jayden both grimacing at the change in Antonio's demeanor.

Brooke let out a sigh, running a clawed hand over her face. "Listen, we're not starting this today," She declared, crossing her leg over her knee. "Antonio has proven himself, _again and again._ And it really shouldn't matter how he uses symbol power because it's obviously _working_ ," She motioned to the claw zord for emphasis, and the team noticed her fully bared claws. "If it's not broken, there's no use in fixing it, y'know? We've already accepted Antonio into the team." _Plus, that was extremely out of line and rude comment to make, there was no point._ Eyes flashed, and Brooke radiated the "don't pick on my little brother" energy.

Both Antonio and Jayden shared a look at Brooke's words, and both of them were glad that she said something. Antonio, because someone was sticking up for him, and Jayden, because he didn't know _what the fuck to do._ The red and gold rangers both recalled memories of the silver ranger defending them both, and times haven't really changed since then. Well, instead of Brooke's pigtails and dresses, it was now stylishly messy hair and leather jackets. But, the girl's "take no shit" attitude when it came to her two childhood friends was the same. The two boys found it endearing.

"I said I'll give him a chance," Kevin argued, and Brooke quirked a brow. It wasn't in confusion, it was in "you're really doing this right now? I'd like to see you try", it was a _mom look._ "But being a true samurai involves much more than just pressing some buttons." The blue ranger declared, picking up his book off of the table and leaving the room.

"Yes, being a true samurai is what's in your heart," Antonio muttered, and this time Jayden took the lead.

"It's up to you to change his mind, Antonio," Jayden stated, and Antonio nodded, leaving the room.

Mike let out a low whistle, green eyes sliding to Brooke. "You really radiated mom energy there, Brooke." The green ranger teased, and the silver rolled her eyes with a faint smile.

"I have a little brother, it's just a habit at this point. People were intimidated by me in school for a reason," Brooke joked, standing up from her seat. Her eyes flashed, returning to their traditional grey. "Speaking of, I'm gonna go check on him. Red, you wanna join me?" She asked, and Jayden shook his head.

"You were always better at comforting people than me," Jayden remarked with a small smile. "Thanks for the offer." He added, watching as Brooke nodded faintly, a small smile growing on her lips.

"Of course." Brooke murmured, and then she left the meeting room, military boots making no noise on the wooden floors. She knew Antonio was probably at the pier, and his scent- the smell of the ocean, was still present, so the silver ranger set out to find the gold.

* * *

As Brooke guessed, Antonio was at the pier, practicing some of his moves with a fishing rod. She quietly walked down the dock, grinning slightly. "I'm getting a sense of deja-vu, Goldie." She greeted, leaning against one of the railings as Antonio lowered his fishing rod.

"You came to check up on me again?" Antonio joked faintly, wearing a small smile, and grey eyes slid to the gold ranger, the silver nodding.

"Yup. Big sister complex and all," Brooke joked, playing with one of the zippers on the cuff of her leather jacket. "I'm sorry I went like "mom mode", but what Kevin said was extremely out of line and it just kinda made me pissed on your behalf, y'know? I dunno if it was my place to say something- but, all's said and done, I guess." She apologized, shrugging slightly and dropping her arm. The blisters and cuts have all scabbed and started to heal- and Brooke knew they were going to leave scars, but she didn't really care. Just more to add to the collection.

Antonio stood beside her, shaking his head with a small smile. "It's alright- Jayden and I were having a deja-vu moment while you were defending me." He commented, and Brooke let out a bark of laughter.

"Christ, I guess I haven't really changed," Brooke laughed, smiling at Antonio. "I guess being the "big sister" is engraved in me, even if I can't remember." She mused, turning her gaze to the sea.

"How's that going, by the way? Have you found anything out?" Antonio asked, and Brooke shook her head, running a hand over her face.

Brooke had explained her, well, the _situation_ with Antonio fully, regarding her missing memories, James, and the who ordeal. She had cried- multiple times, but Antonio and Jayden comforted her to the best of their abilities. The talk lasted long into the night, Brooke falling asleep on Jayden- much to the red ranger's amusement and slight endearment. The red and gold rangers had sat in silence- basking in it all. It was an extremely strange situation, the three becoming power rangers, one leading _a team_ of rangers, the other being an amnesiac who could turn into a wolf at will, and the other being a self-made power ranger who ran a fish market on the side. So yeah, it was a little strange.

_The three childhood friends sat one of the benches that the outdoor dojo offered- mirroring their ten-year-old and eleven-year-old selves. Brooke sat in the middle of Antonio and Jayden, just like she did when they were kids, but now she was sleeping on Jayden's arm, her breathing slow. Antonio was leaning back on his hands some, and both him and Jayden had turned their gaze to the sky, where a waxing gibbous moon shone brightly in silver. It cast the three rangers in a silver glow, the area illuminated by the silver glow of the moon and faint yellow glow of the wall light. It was strangely comforting and peaceful for Jayden and Antonio, who both were lost in their own thoughts- sitting in comfortable silence._

_"It's changed a lot since we were kids, huh? It's not just the three of us fighting with sticks anymore," Jayden remarked quietly, glancing at Brooke, who seemed to be in a deep sleep. Her eyes were puffy, tear tracks staining her cheeks as her chest rose and fell slowly. "When I ran into Brooke for the first time- before she introduced herself, I didn't recognize her. I didn't recognize you at first. We've all grown up." He confessed with a small laugh, and Antonio smiled faintly._

_"I recognized you- because of you being the red ranger, and you're still wearing those red t-shirts," Antonio teased with a grin, and Jayden rolled his eyes with a faint smile. "But Brooke, I never imagined her to hold the "leather jacket ripped jeans" aesthetic. I never imagined her to have gone through that much- and still act like she did when we were kids. It's like she's grown up, but hasn't at the same time." He mused, and Jayden laughed faintly._

_"You haven't changed much either, you know. You're still energetic as ever," Jayden remarked with a small smile, and Antonio nudged his shoulder, extremely lightly since Brooke was sleeping on it. "I think Ji was worried about having both you and Brooke on the team. You two weren't the most serious people on the planet. But, I'm glad you two are here. It makes fighting this war and leading a team a little more bearable," He commented, pushing some of Brooke's hair out of her face, noticing how the girl stirred some and then quickly fell back asleep. "I have two people who view me as Jayden, not the red ranger. It's freeing."_

_"Well, of course, you're our friend first before anything, and I think I can safely speak for Brooke on that one," Antonio joked with a small laugh. "We'll end this war, together. It's us against the world, like when we were kids." He murmured, and Jayden smiled faintly._

_"Us against the world," Jayden repeated in confirmation. The two rangers sat in a comfortable silence again for a couple of minutes, until they both yawned in unison. "It's time to go to bed." The red ranger announced, and the gold smiled._

_"Well, Brooke's already out," Antonio motioned to the sleeping silver ranger, and Jayden smiled down at the girl. "I feel bad. She looks comfortable." He murmured, and Jayden hummed in response before speaking._

_"Not the first time this has happened, believe it or not," Jayden remarked, remembering the night before they crashed the wedding, where Brooke had sat in his lap and the two rangers had talked. Looking back on it- that seemed forever ago now. She did look peaceful, but Jayden knew they couldn't stay like this forever, even if he wanted to. So, he gently shook the girl, watching as she stirred and cracked a grey eye open. "It's time for bed, you fell asleep on me."_

_Brooke blinked the sleep out of her eyes, slowly regaining her bearings. "Well, that's becoming a habit," She joked, her voice groggy. Raising her head, she smiled a weary smile at Antonio. "I didn't mean to fall asleep on you guys, my bad," She murmured, turning her gaze to the moon. "It's pretty out tonight."_

_Both Jayden and Antonio smiled fondly at Brooke. They both found her pretty, but the red and gold rangers didn't voice that aloud. Brooke actually was the first one to stand, taking both Jayden and Antonio's hands and pulling them up with her. Then she wrapped her arms around the two, standing on her toes to give the two taller boys a hug at the same time. Both Antonio and Jayden let out small laughs, hugging her back._

_"Thank you two, for everything. For being friends with me even if I can't remember you both. For listening to me," Brooke murmured when she stepped away, giving her two childhood friends a small smile. "I appreciate it, so so much. Goodnight, you guys. Sleep well, we gotta save the world tomorrow." She joked sleepily, letting out a yawn and revealing her sharper canines. Then, she raised her hand in farewell, making her way into the dark Shiba House._

_Both Jayden and Antonio watched her go, the red and gold rangers sharing small smiles, walking inside._

"No, it's aggravating as hell," Brooke complained with a heavy sigh. "I'm looking through my mom's journal- and it's just _weird._ Like, she was cryptic as hell, and whenever I ask Mary about it she dodges the question. So, they're definitely hiding something- and I have a feeling it's something dark, y'know? It's just a sense, but that's the only reason I would think that they would erase memories from a twelve-year-old. I-I'm almost _scared_ to find out what happened. I wanna remember the times I had with you and Red, but- I don't wanna give myself more trauma," She confessed with a nervous laugh, eyes flashing and claws growing in slightly. "I don't even know _who_ erased my memories. It has to be someone with symbol power- but James didn't have it, and I-" Brooke came to a realization, her eyes widening slightly.

Antonio noticed Brooke's expression and raised a brow. "I take it you figured something out?" He asked, partly joking and partly curious.

Brooke nodded, sorting through her thoughts. _Could Mary have?_ It was a possibility because usually siblings of rangers did hold _some_ symbol power, even if it being not enough to get into the morphing grid. It would also make sense since they're related- it would probably be easier for her to do it than some random person. But still, that causes more questions to arise. Like _why_? When Brooke got her memories erased, her mother was already dead. It would make little to no sense. Brooke let out a sigh, running a clawed hand over her face, fighting back the tension headache that was forming. God, she _wished_ she could just use some symbol power to get her memories back, and she had tried. There was nothing- Brooke had tried almost every damn symbol in her family's archives, and that only left her on the verge of collapsing and with migraine. So, it wasn't going well.

"I did, but that's not important," Brooke replied, waving her hand in dismissal. "What's important right now is how _you're_ feeling." She urged, pointing a finger at Antonio.

"Kevin can't accept me because I don't do things old school," Antonio muttered, and Brooke frowned, her eyes flashing. "I mean, I've proved myself in battle." There was frustration in his tone, but it was faint. It was more disappointment, and it made Brooke's heart hurt.

"Well, to be honest, Kevin's got a stick up his ass sometimes. Don't get me wrong, I'm friendly with him, but _god damn_ ," Brooke let out a small laugh. "He's extremely dedicated, it's eat, drink, and sleep by the samurai code. It's a little worrying, actually. But, you've proved yourself to the rest of us- programming a zord is no easy feat," She announced, standing up from where she was leaning against the railing. "You're doing just fine, Goldie. I promise you."

Brooke smiled, and Antonio felt his heart rate increase some. "Thanks, Brooke. I appreciate it." He replied, the gold ranger smiling fondly at the silver.

* * *

After dinner, Antonio was out doing _something_ , so Brooke and Jayden sat in the outdoor dojo, playing with their zords and chatting. The two rangers were taking turns throwing a grey tennis ball Brooke summoned using her symbol power, and the lion and wolf zords were zipping after it when either Jayden or Brooke threw it.

"How'd taking with Antonio go?" Jayden asked as his lion zord dropped the tennis ball in his hand. He threw the ball, and the zords chased after it, blurs of red and silver.

"It went well, I mean, he looked less upset," Brooke answered, whistling and calling the wolf zord back, who somehow held the tennis ball in its mouth as it flew back. The lion zord was shadowing him, rawring at the wolf playfully. "I don't blame him for being upset- it was probably embarrassing for him. But, I did my job and he seems to be doing better." She added, throwing the tennis ball.

"Thanks for stepping in, because I didn't know what to do," Jayden confessed with a small laugh, and Brooke snorted.

"It's all good. I figured as much, you had that look you wear when you don't know something." Brooke teased with a grin, and Jayden rolled his eyes with a small smile. The wolf zord was flying back with the tennis ball again, but this time, the lion zord intercepted the silver zord and the ball. It caused the wolf zord to drop the ball, and the lion zord swooped down and caught it before it hit the ground.

Jayden watched the two zords in amusement, the wolf zord growling and barking at the lion zord as it flew back at its owner. "And what look is- Ji." Blue eyes snapped to the older man, and the playful atmosphere dropped somewhat.

The tennis ball disappeared in a flash of silver, and the silver and red rangers held out their hands. Their respective zords flew into their open palms, folding back up. Brooke and Jayden turned their attention fully to Ji, who smiled faintly.

"Brooke, are you alright with hiking?" Ji asked, and Brooke's eyes flashed as nodded hesitantly and raised a brow.

"Yeah, I used to do it when I was younger and being a wolf helps. But what's this about?" Brooke answered, and she and Jayden looked at the older man quizzically.

"It's to find a disk, the moon disk. It's located on top of Sweetbrier Mountain. It was originally held by the silver rangers but got lost in battle. But, there have been rumors of the moon glowing brighter than it usually does when it's over the mountain," Ji explained, the silver and red rangers sharing a confused look. "I understand that this is a sudden request- but I would like you to retrieve the moon disk, and it needs to be done at moonrise." He urged, and Brooke made a noise of surprise.

"Sweetbrier is like, an hour from here, right? And the moonrise, uh," Brooke pulled out her phone, quickly searching and finding the time of the moonrise. "1:16 am, _yikes._ But, it's fine. I'll do it, I used to hike on Sweetbrier anyways- so, I'll probably have to leave here about 11ish, then that gives me an hour to hike. That should be enough time because Sweetbrier is mostly trails, worse case scenario I'll book it up a mountain." She was thinking out loud at this point, chewing on her bottom lip.

Jayden shot a worried glance at Ji, then at Brooke. "Still, what if a nighlok shows up tomorrow? You'll be exhausted- and hiking a mountain at night-" He started, but Brooke cut him off.

"Red, it'll be okay," Brooke reassured Jayden, flashing him a small smile, which he returned with a look of concern. "Night hikes are kinda fun, and I'm a _wolf._ I'll be okay, don't worry. If a nighlok does show up when I'm not there, I know you guys can handle it. I promise I'll be safe, and I'll be back before you know it." She murmured, and Jayden looked unconvinced but didn't argue.

"Thank you, Brooke. It will help the team out immensely." Ji thanked, and Brooke smiled faintly.

"Of course," Brooke replied. She tried to hide the slight fear and stress she felt. However, Jayden seemed to notice, because after Ji walked away, he wrapped his arms around Brooke. She welcomed him, leaning into his touch some.

Jayden was always _warm,_ and it was nice. Brooke leaned back against his chest, closing her eyes and allowing herself to bask in the feeling of it all. She knew this was going to be the last time she felt this peaceful in a while, so she enjoyed it.

"Thank you, Red," Brooke spoke, her voice barely above a whisper, a faint smile on her lips.

Jayden looked down at the girl in his arms and smiled. "Of course, Brooke," He murmured, resting his chin on the top of her head. "I'll always be here for you."

* * *

It was almost ten when Brooke walked into the kitchen, lightly tossing a water bottle in the air and catching it. Mike was also in the kitchen, and he took in Brooke's hiking ensemble, which consisted of leggings with a flannel tied around her waist, a grey hoodie, and hiking boots, paired with a baseball cap.

"You goin' hiking?" Mike asked in confusion, the green ranger looking up from his phone and at the silver ranger with knit brows.

Brooke nodded, filling up her bottle. "To find a disk. Gotta get to it by moonrise, which is one in the morning, but, it's fine." She answered, and Mike let out a low whistle.

"Good luck. I suppose bein' miss werewolf does help though." Mike joked, and Brooke rolled her eyes with a smile as she screwed the cap on her water bottle.

"Yeah, it does." Brooke agreed, and Mike grinned, sliding off his stool and sticking his phone back into the pocket of his cargo pants.

"Well, I'm headin' to bed, night, Brooke," Mike stated, starting to walk out of the kitchen.

Brooke smiled faintly. "G'night," She spoke, and Mike raised his hand in farewell, leaving the kitchen. Which left Brooke alone with her thoughts for a moment, and she sighed as she glanced at the water bottle in her hand. She really didn't _want to_ hike up a mountain at midnight- she wanted to go to bed, in all honesty. But, a disk would be nice, so Brooke just shoved her negative thoughts aside, turning her attention to Jayden. "Heya, Red." She greeted, and Jayden jumped in surprise, which caused Brooke to snicker.

"I forget about your wolf senses," Jayden defended, walking into the kitchen, and Brooke grinned. "So, you're going?" He questioned, glancing at Brooke's hiking outfit, and she nodded.

"Yeah, it's to get a disk, after all," Brooke answered softly, tracing the woodgrains of the countertop with her fingertips. "Not ideal, but, it is what it is, I guess. I took a power nap, worst-case scenario I'll sleep in my car after I get the disk. It'll work out." She muttered, and Jayden didn't know if it was for him or herself.

Still, Jayden frowned somewhat. He was worried- from a leadership standpoint and as a friend. "I really would like you on the front lines." He blurted, and Brooke laughed.

"It'll be okay, worst-case scenario I'll be out for, like, one battle. You guys made it without me before, and you have Antonio," Brooke reassured Jayden, setting her water bottle on the counter. "Have you ever been hiking before?" She wondered, quirking a brow at Jayden, who shook his head.

"I haven't," Jayden replied. "Will you take me one day?" He asked, watching fondly as Brooke's grey eyes sparkled with enthusiasm.

She beamed and nodded. "Yeah, I will. It'll be fun, and I feel like you'd be a good hiker, you have good balance," Brooke mused with a grin. "Taking a nap in a hammock on top of a mountain just hits different. You're really missing out, Red." She teased, and Jayden rolled his eyes, walking over to her.

"Then you'll have to show me," Jayden stated, readjusting Brooke's hat on her head, who flushed, her eyes flashing. "I wish I could go with you, in all honesty." He confessed, and Brooke smiled softly.

"You gotta lead, Red. Plus, I don't want your first hike to be with me stressed because I'm on a time crunch, it'll ruin the fun," Brooke replied, and Jayden felt his heart stop when she traced his jawline with her fingertips. "I'll be back before you know it, and if you need anything, call me. I'll answer when I can." She promised, watching in amusement as Jayden flushed when she poked his nose.

Jayden felt his heart rate increase but tried to ignore it as he smiled. "You're really something," He murmured, cheeks dusted pink. "Stay safe." He urged, and Brooke grinned.

"Always am," Brooke replied, grabbing her water bottle and walking out of the kitchen. However, she stopped at the doorway, her grin turning into a much more genuine smile. "Goodnight, Red. Sleep well."

"Goodnight, Brooke. Have fun." Jayden shot Brooke a small smile, which she returned, raising her hand in farewell and retreating back to her room.

* * *

Brooke zipped up her backpack with a sigh. It had everything she needed, water, granola bars, first aid supplies- just in case, a flashlight, and a headlamp. Grabbing a pocket knife that she found with her stuff and her car keys, she stuck the pocketknife into the side pocket of her backpack and shouldered it. Turning her light off, Brooke left her room, shutting her door behind her. Jayden's door was closed and his light was off, which was somewhat disappointing because she wanted to tell him but goodbye, but she didn't want to wake him up. So, Brooke just walked down the hall, noticing Antonio's door was slightly ajar.

Furrowing her brows, Brooke walked into the main dojo, and the smell of the ocean filled her nose. Grabbing her flashlight, she turned it on- pointing it in the direction where the smell was the most potent. "Antonio, what the fuck are you doing? It's late, go to bed." She advised, walking closer to Antonio, who had frozen, looking like a deer in headlights.

Antonio was placing the helmet back on one of the training dummies- which he had put a camera in when Brooke had caught him, and he let out a sigh. He put the helmet back on and faced the silver ranger, who had a brow quirked with a curious and concerned look on her face, her eyes a grey-gold. It seemed like she was staring into his soul.

"It's nothing," Antonio answered quickly, and Brooke pursed her lips and raised her eyebrows. "Anyways, why are you going hiking?" He deflected her question with his own, and Brooke sighed, lowering her flashlight some.

"I have to go climb a mountain to get a disk," Brooke grumbled, looking annoyed and tired. "I would love to be asleep- but I gotta be up a mountain and find this disk by moonrise. But, you putting a camera in a training dummy is not "nothing", so, what's going on?" She pressed, and then realization dawned on her face. "Are you gonna watch Kevin?" Brooke questioned, and Antonio grinned somewhat.

"I'm gonna eat, drink, and sleep being a samurai- Kevin style." Antonio declared, looking rather proud of himself, and Brooke didn't have the heart to tell him that Kevin would probably notice the cameras.

So, she just let out a quiet sigh and turned off her flashlight, walking over to Antonio. "Just- get some rest, alright? I'm probably not gonna be here tomorrow, so you gotta take my place," Brooke joked, wrapping Antonio into a hug. He stiffened somewhat, and then returned the hug. "Goodnight- well, goodbye, Goldie. See you tomorrow." She murmured, resting her chin on Antonio's shoulder as she hugged him. Brooke realized that both Jayden and Antonio gave good hugs, and it was nice.

"Bye, Brooke. I assume Jayden already told you to stay safe, but stay safe." Antonio advised, and Brooke laughed as she stepped away from him.

"I got both of you guys telling me to stay safe now, aren't I lucky," Brooke joked, tucking her flashlight into the side pocket of her backpack. "But don't worry, I always am. Please, don't stress yourself out over Kevin- self-care comes first, okay? Call me if you need anything." She urged, and Antonio nodded, smiling faintly.

"Will do. Goodnight." Antonio promised, presumably walking back to his room, and Brooke looked at the camera in the training dummy, shaking her head with a faint smile.

"You're really something, Antonio," Brooke whispered, barely audible as she made her way to the front doors of the Shiba House.

Gravel crunched underneath hiking boots as Brooke made her way to Little Cloaks to get her car, her swinging her keys on her finger. She didn't want to do this- frankly, a part of her wanted to cuddle with Jayden, but that was out of the question, for multiple reasons. So, Brooke just let out a heavy sigh, walking down the streets of Panorama. It was almost empty, sans the silver ranger, and a couple of people making their way to their jobs for their night shifts. Moths fluttered around the street lamps that illuminated Brooke in yellow light as she walked underneath them, the bill of her hat casting a shadow on her face.

Reaching her car, Brooke unlocked it and opened her driver's side door, shrugging off her backpack. Setting it into the passenger seat, grey eyes flashed gold when her eyes landed on the leather jacket that was thrown over the headrest. It was Casper's, and Brooke grinned, knowing that she just gained another leather jacket- and whatever her friend had stashed in the pockets. Getting into her car, Brooke put the keys in the ignition and started the car, fastening her seatbelt. Pulling out of her parking spot, Brooke started her hour drive to Sweetbrier Mountain, hoping that this wasn't all for nothing.

When Brooke reached the trail that led to the base of the mountain, her eyes flashed when she noticed a small house maybe 500 feet away. Something about it seemed familiar, but Brooke shoved that aside as she put her keys in her backpack and pulled out her headlamp. It was easier to deal with than a flashlight, and she put it on her head, turning it on and glancing at her cheap watch. It was almost twelve, the drive wasn't as long as Brooke expected- and she was somewhat grateful for that. Letting out a heavy sigh, the silver ranger glared at the mountain in front of her.

"Fucking kill me." Brooke groaned, putting on her backpack and starting her hike, rubbing her tired eyes.

Meanwhile, a pair of grey eyes saw the silver ranger walk down the trail- a mix of pride and joy filling the man's chest as Nate Wolfe watched his daughter. She looked around, grey eyes identical to his own flashing gold, and Nate watched as Brooke shifted, the brown wolf bouncing down the trail, disappearing into the woods at the base of the mountain.

* * *

Brooke shifted back when she reached a stream, her eyes flashing as she looked for a way across. Glancing down at her watch, which read _12:23 am,_ she let out a sigh of relief. She was almost halfway up the mountain- as being a wolf helps immensely, and Brooke decided to take the rest of the hike as a human. Spying a log that could be used as a makeshift bridge across the river, Brooke made her way over to it, hopping onto it. Then she instantly regretted that action, because the log was not as stable as she thought. It rolled underneath her feet, and Brooke let out a string of curses as she hit the ground.

"Alright, fuck you too," Brooke grumbled, glaring at the log and then carefully climbing up onto it, sinking her claws into the softwood for good measure.

Rising up from a crouch, Brooke stuck out her arms as a way to balance herself as she carefully placed one foot in front of the other. She really didn't want to fall into a stream tonight and focused on keeping herself balanced. Reaching the end of the log, Brooke hopped down and surveyed her surroundings. Realizing the trail ended, grey eyes flashed gold as the silver ranger eyed the incline she would have to climb. Letting out a heavy sigh- Brooke was glad Jayden didn't come with her, because she wasn't in the best mood about the whole ordeal, and didn't want to lash out at him about it.

Such as now, when she halfway slid back down the incline because she lost stable footing. Brooke let out a noise of frustration, deciding to shift and bounce up the incline. It was much easier, and the brown wolf shook the dirt out of fur when she reached the top. There was a trail now, and wolf-Brooke followed that, hopping over fallen trees. She then reached another stream- well, the same stream as before, just at a different point. Spying the rocks that could be used as a way to get across, wolf-Brooke hopped from rock to rock, shaking the water out of her tail and starting to walk again.

Eventually, Brooke reached the area where she assumed was the disk- because the entire area was cast in a silver glow. She shifted back, and Brooke glanced down at her watch. It had just turned one, and the silver ranger turned her gaze to the sky. The moon had just started rising, and Brooke broke into a weary grin. _Well, at least this wasn't all for nothing._ The area that was cast silver was a tunnel of trees, and fireflies danced in the air, and there were purple wolfsbane flowers in clumps around the base of the tree. Which were pretty- but also _poisonous,_ so Brooke made sure to steer clear of the flowers to the best of her abilities.

Grey eyes scanned the area. It was like something out of a fairy tale, but Brooke felt the sensation that she was being watched wash over her. This time, she tensed, letting her claws and canines grow in, reaching for her samuraizer. Grabbing the device, she flipped it open, walking slowly and turning off her headlamp for good measure. The area was still bright enough so Brooke could see with ease, and she kept her senses alert for any sudden movements that she could hear or any scents that smelt out of place. There was nothing, and all Brooke could hear was the faint call of an owl, as she made sure her footsteps were silent- and the moss she was walking over helped with that.

The tunnel of trees- that had moss like a carpet, eventually led to a clearing, and Brooke relaxed her body. The glow was brighter now, and Brooke had to squint as her eyes adjusted. Glancing at her watch, she realized that it was almost time for the moonrise, and Brooke's eyes widened and flashed as her gaze landed on a wooden box. It was tucked away at the end of the clearing, which was a circle, surrounded by trees and wolfsbane. Brooke's head had started to pound, and she felt nauseous, and _really hoped_ that it wasn't from the wolfsbane and just from the exhaustion. She then came to the realization that she had to hike _back down the mountain_ , and Brooke debated flinging herself off of it and praying.

But, she pushed that aside as she slowly walked towards the wooden box, Brooke still keeping a tight grip on her samuraizer. Which she was glad she did, because when something moved in a blur of silver in front of her, Brooke leapt back some, summoning her Wolf Kunai and pointing it at the creature in front of her. It was a wolf- who was white and grey, but more white than grey, and had violet eyes that seemed to glow in the moonlight. Brooke relaxed some, but her chest heaved, her heartbeat pounding in her ears as a wave of nausea hit her. Still, she resisted the urge to throw up- just staring at the wolf and pointing her kunai at it.

 _"Silver ranger,"_ The wolf spoke- well, not really spoke. It was more of a voice in Brooke's mind and feminine voice that was motherly and comforting. _"It's not wise coming here. There's a reason this disk hasn't been retrieved, my dear."_ The white wolf sat on its haunches, and Brooke's head spun.

"Who- who are you? Are... are you real?" Brooke swallowed past her bile and spoke, and the wolf seemed to find some amusement out of the question.

 _"I am real, Brooke Wolfe. My name is Amaris, and I am the protector of those who hold the moon disk,"_ The wolf, Amaris, answered. _"Grab the disk and go, dear. I will give you the strength you need to make it down this mountain- now's not the time for questions."_ Amaris urged, her ears flicking as she rose, padding over to Brooke, who stumbled back and groaned, her Wolf Kunai disappearing in a flurry of silver particles.

Brooke brought a hand to her head as the world spun far _too_ quickly, and she tried to walk forward. Instead, she tripped over her own feet and landed on the ground, letting out another groan. "Amaris- what's going- going on?" She choked out, claws sinking into the topsoil as she forced herself to her knees. Brooke then stood, swallowing back her bile as she staggered over to the box, flipping her samuraizer shut and putting it into the side pocket of her backpack.

 _"The wolfsbane, darling. You must hurry, I'll be at your side,"_ Amaris' voice had a tone of urgency, and the white wolf bounced over to the wooden box and nudged it closer to Brooke. Who didn't even bother opening it, she just set her backpack down, unzipped the main compartment and shoved the thing in there. _"Shifting will make things worse. Hurry."_ Despite the urgency, Amaris' voice was still calm, and Brooke nodded, putting her backpack back on.

She went to walk back but instantly threw up. After she was finished, Brooke didn't even reach for her water bottle. Her head felt a little better, so she followed Amaris' instructions. Speaking of, Amaris bounced beside Brooke as she sprinted through the tunnel, the silver ranger ignoring the pounding of her head. _Would calling Jayden help?_ Brooke wondered as she half tripped, and slid down the mountain, her head spinning.

 _"Calling someone is wise. A distraction would help."_ Amaris answered, and Brooke didn't even try to think about how the white wolf answered her thoughts.

Brooke wasted no time pulling out her samuraizer, swallowing down more bile as she didn't bother with rock-hopping across the stream. Her hiking boots splashed water as she dialed Jayden's familiar number and put her samuraizer to her ear. He answered on the first ring, and Brooke tried not to throw up as she spoke. "Hey- heya Red." She choked out as she stumbled and fell again, slamming her hand against a rock.

 _"Brooke…?"_ Jayden's sleepy voice caused Brooke's fear to lessen some, and having Amaris around helped as well. The white wolf was leading Brooke down the mountain, and whenever the girl fell, the wolf would nudge Brooke's face with her muzzle and help Brooke to her feet.

"Yeah- yeah, that's me." Brooke breathed out as she tripped again. The world was still spinning, and Amaris offered herself as support, Brooke using the white wolf to push herself up.

Jayden seemed to have woken up some because he heard Brooke's labored breathing and twigs cracking under the girl's feet. _"Hey, is everything alright? Are you running from something?"_ Jayden questioned, and Brooke made a choked noise in response. _"Brooke? Hey, Brooke? Can you talk to me?"_

Brooke fell again and made a whimper of pain, rolling some. Her backpack slammed against her back, and the box dug into the area in between her shoulder blades. "Kinda- hey, can you distra- distract me? I- I need a distraction right now." She forced out, her breathing ragged. As she got further from the wolfsbane, it was easier to breathe, but Brooke didn't want to risk it. She just kept sprinting, falling, and sliding down the mountain.

 _"Yeah, yeah. I can. What do you want to talk about?"_ Jayden asked, his voice soothing, and Brooke nearly cried in relief. Amaris was at her side, and Brooke laughed faintly.

"I uh- met a wolf," Brooke panted, and Amaris laughed, and it sounded like bells in Brooke's head. "Her name's Amaris. And I dunno if it's a hallucination but- she's nice. She's helping me down the mountain right now." She laughed breathlessly at Jayden's noise of surprise.

 _"Okay, Brooke. Did I hear you correctly, or is this just some weird dream?"_ Jayden wondered, and Brooke snorted, then proceeded to trip and fall into the first stream she had to cross.

"Son of a bitch- I'm really glad you didn't come because- it's not the best thing in the world," Brooke cursed as she rose to her feet- trying to ignore the fact that she was now soaked. "Just fell into a stream, but that's fine. I want to be in bed, I wish I never got this damm box and stupid fucking disk. But to answer your question- yeah, Amaris. I think she's really, 'cause she's solid, y'know?" She panted, and when Jayden was silent was on the other line, she sighed. Brooke glanced at Amaris, who laughed, violet eyes sparkling with amusement.

 _"Brooke, are you sure you're alright?"_ Jayden asked incredulously after a few moments of silence, and Brooke laughed.

Panting, Brooke stopped at the base of the mountain. "I'm not too sure, to be honest. I- I threw up and then ran down the mountain, and now I don't feel good. I- I'll call you back." She didn't wait for his response, only hanging up the call and putting the samuraizer back into the pocket of her backpack. Brooke then took two steps and then collapsed- and Amaris instantly stopped in her tracks from where she was running her head.

 _"Brooke,"_ Amaris called, and she sprinted over to the silver ranger. The white wolf nudged and licked Brooke's face, only to get no response. She was still breathing, which was a good sign, but Amaris wasted no time. The white wolf bounced in place twice and then leapt through the air- disappearing.

Nate Wolfe was nursing a cup of coffee in his hands when Amaris appeared, standing on his dining room table. He knew who the wolf was- but the fact that she was here caused panic to claw at his throat. Nate set down his mug of coffee quickly. "Amaris, it's been years." He greeted, panic overtaking his voice.

 _"It has Nate Wolfe. But now is not the time for reconnection. Your daughter-"_ Amaris started, and Nate wasted no time.

Nate slipped on his black loafers, leaving his house quickly and breaking into a sprint. "Amaris, lead the way." He urged, and the white wolf did just that. Amaris seemed to glow, and Nate felt his heart stop when his gaze landed on Brooke.

 _"Brooke, my dear. Help has come, it will be alright,"_ Amaris called to the unconscious silver ranger, and then turned to Nate, violet eyes shining. _"I cannot stay any longer, as she is no longer in peril, Nate. I entrust her to you."_ Amaris murmured, and Nate nodded. With that, the white wolf disappeared in a flash of silver.

Nate never imagined he would see his daughter after five years laying face down on the forest floor. Letting out a sigh and running a hand over his face, he quickly rolled her over onto her back. "Christ, Brooke. What the fuck have you done?" He muttered, noticing the girl's wet and dirt-stained clothes, and the mud-caked on her face. _As far as a reunion- fucking hell_ , Nate thought, picking Brooke up and carrying her bridal style, one arm supporting her back and the other under her knees.

Brooke groaned, cracking an eye open. "The fuck? Why- why do- do you look like me- fuck. Just, don't kill me- please." She choked out, falling unconscious again, and Nate smiled a small, sad smile.

"Don't worry, kiddo. I wouldn't dream of it." Nate murmured, letting out a sigh. _Christ._

Making his way back to his house- Brooke's childhood home, Nate opened the door, squinting at the sudden brightness. His loafers tapped on the wooden floors as he carried Brooke through the kitchen and living room, and down the hall. It was some struggle, but he got the door open and flicked on the light. It was Brooke's childhood bedroom, the walls painted a light grey, and everything was as the same as it was before she- she _left._ Nate couldn't find the courage to enter- he had tried.

He had missed his daughter, and he set Brooke on the bed that now seemed too small for her. Nate gently removed the backpack off of her back and the hat off her head, setting the grey cap on the nightstand and the backpack in the corner of the room. However, Brooke's samuraizer caught his eye, and Nate pulled it out of the side pocket of her backpack, turning the device over in his hands. It was the same as he last saw it- thirteen years ago, and grey eyes flickered from the samuraizer to his unconscious daughter. Nate wanted to cry- but he didn't allow himself to. He never did anymore.

Instead, he walked slowly over to Brooke, placing the samuraizer next to her head and then shutting off the light, leaving the room. Shutting the door behind him, Nate ran a hand over his face again. Was it too early to call someone to ask why the fuck his daughter was running down a mountain at now two in the morning? Probably. So, he just dumped out his coffee and turned his gaze to the sky. Well, the ceiling.

"Jane Wolfe, what the fuck did you do to our daughter?" Nate spoke- his voice cracking. "You took her away from me, and it's been five fucking years and I find her unconscious on the forest floor. I really hope that was the life you imagined for her- and you got your damn wish." Rage seeped into his tone, but Nate knew nothing would happen. Letting out a heavy sigh, Nate just ran a hand over his face and padded to his room. He just hoped to get some sleep, for once in his life.

* * *

Brooke's samuraizer ringing woke her up. And she ignored it. And then it rang again, and Brooke groaned, patting the blankets for the device. She eventually felt it, and flipped it open, bringing her samuraizer to her ear.

"It better be important," Brooke groaned. "If it's a nighlok- I can't fucking fight right now." She added and heard Jayden's sigh of relief on the other line.

 _"Good morning. I just wanted to make sure you were alive."_ Jayden greeted, and Brooke felt guilty. It was just Jayden, which was good.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm alive. Sorry, just feel like shit- a lot happened. Sorry for calling you at like two in the morning or whatever it was," Brooke apologized. "Good morning, by the way." She added, and Jayden laughed faintly.

 _"It's alright, Brooke. I'm happy you're safe, I'll let you get some sleep."_ Jayden murmured, and Brooke smiled.

"Hey, Red?" Brooke called, and heard Jayden hum in response, signaling he was listening. "When- when I get back, can we cuddle?" She asked, and the line went silent.

Jayden then presumably regained his composure, coughing some. _"Yeah. That sounds great- but, just focus on now, alright? Get some rest."_ He advised, and Brooke yawned.

"Will do, thanks, Red." Brooke murmured, shutting her samuraizer and falling back into a light sleep.

When she woke up for the second time, Brooke realized she was in bed. Which was concerning. She was in a room- that felt somewhat familiar, that was _incredibly_ concerning. Grey-gold eyes scanned the room, which had light grey walls, and a wooden carving of two wolves running on it. Sunlight was filtering in through the window, and Brooke glanced down at her watch. It was only just now six, which was good- because she knew she needed to get back to Panorama sometime early. Still, she felt _disgusting_ , and Brooke let out a sigh as she rolled onto her back.

 _Was last night even real?_ Brooke remembered Amaris and falling down the mountain, and someone that looked like her saying her name, but that was about it. And that was not good, this whole situation was fucking surreal and confusing to Brooke, and the only good thing that came out of it was Jayden saying that he would cuddle with her. Which was good. That was probably the only good thing because _fuck the moon disk._

Brooke forced herself to sit up, wincing at the migraine that she felt. She looked down at her dirt-encrusted clothes and bruised knuckles, letting out a groan of annoyance. She freed her hair out of her ponytail- cringing when she pulled a twig out of it, but it did help with the headache some. Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, Brooke stood up, grabbing the nightstand to help regain her balance. When she did, Brooke slowly made her way to the door.

Her senses slowly kicked in, and Brooke heard her stomach growl at the smell of bacon. She was hungry and sore, but she also had questions. Fumbling with the doorknob, Brooke opened the door and slowly made her way down the hall. Her gaze landed on a picture, a family portrait- it was with a younger her, and that's the only thing Brooke recognized. There was a woman with light brown hair and brown eyes, and Brooke came to the conclusion that the woman was her mother, because she looked like Mary, except with sharper facial features. Holding the younger Brooke was a man with black hair and grey eyes- _the same man who said her name._

Ignoring her headache, Brooke took off in an uneven jog- and her footsteps made noise, but she didn't _care._ She stumbled into the kitchen, and the man raised his head from the stove- noticing Brooke's gold eyes and frantic expression.

"You- you helped me. You know me. You know Mom," Brooke choked out, her face paling. "How- who are you?" Her voice was barely above a whisper, and Nate smiled sadly.

"I'll answer any questions you have, Brooke, I promise. You don't deserve to be kept in the dark any longer," Nate murmured, watching as his daughter stared at him with wide eyes. "But first, would you like to eat?" He asked, and Brooke nodded.

"Thanks for not killing me," Brooke muttered as she sat down at the table, and Nate laughed faintly.

Nate waved his hand nonchalantly. "Wouldn't dream of it. You've been through enough," He answered, and watched as Brooke quirked a brow at him as he sat down a plate of food in front of her. Her stomach growled, and she instantly started eating. "First- I'll start with the introductions. I'm Nate Wolfe, your biological father." Nate introduced himself, and Brooke choked on a pancake.

"I remember reading your name in mom's journal," Brooke declared once she stopped choking. She didn't know why she wasn't freaking out- _maybe the exhaustion?_ "But what about James? And Maxx?" She questioned, shoving another bite of pancake in her mouth. She couldn't remember the last time she had pancakes- because she _certainly_ wouldn't eat Mia's. And Nate, he was a good cook.

"James is your stepfather, and Maxx is his son, so he's your stepbrother, in actuality. I also heard about James, I'm so sorry you had to endure that." Nate was sympathetic- and Brooke could tell it was genuine. Nate held a certain sadness to him, and Brooke could tell it was due to _her,_ and something about the dark circles and bags under his eyes made her feel guilty.

"Let me guess, Mary wouldn't let me know about you? Was she also the one who erased my memories?" Brooke started connecting the dots, and when Nate nodded, she let out a growl. "Son of a bitch. I've been there for two fucking years now and she's told me nothing. I asked her so many fucking questions, and she's said _nothing._ " She realized tears started falling on her pancakes and wiped them away with a paper towel that Nate offered her.

Nate watched Brooke, and it was bittersweet. A certain feeling of joy washed over him, but also sadness. "I'm sorry, Brooke. I should've tried harder-" He started, but Brooke waved her hand in dismissal, swallowing another mouthful of pancake.

"Don't worry, I get it. I'm not mad at you- I'm fucking pissed at Mary. And I don't even know if it's rational, but it's there." Brooke reassured Nate, offering a small smile at the man, looking into eyes that were almost identical to her own. Something in her head was saying to trust the man, and like how she did with Jayden and Antonio, and it didn't seem to be wrong yet. So, she did.

"Christ, you're much calmer than your mother," Nate muttered, running a hand over his face with a small laugh. _So, that's where she got that from._ "I take it you don't know anything about her, either?" He asked, and Brooke shook her head, finishing her breakfast.

"Other than that she was the silver ranger- and she got killed in the surprise attack- that's a lie, isn't it," Brooke cut herself off, noticing Nate's facial expression. "God damn it. _Oh, fuck me."_ She cursed, running a clawed hand over her face. _Like father, like daughter._

Nate grimaced, nodding. "I don't want to keep things from you, but you're not well enough to handle all of it, I'm sorry. I'll convince Mary to let me talk to you- I'll meet you again soon, Brooke." He urged, and Brooke nodded, rising from her seat.

"It's alright. Took me two years, and I'm finally getting answers. I can wait a little longer- the team's probably freaked anyway," Brooke laughed, and she didn't realize she was crying. They were happy tears this time, cleaning some of the dirt off of her face. "Here- I assume you have a phone? I'll give you my cell number." She offered, and Nate nodded, pushing a pen and paper across the table. Brooke quickly wrote down her contact information, blinking the tears from her vision.

"It might not be my place to say since you can't remember me, but, I'm proud to call you my daughter, Brooke. You've made it so far, and life hasn't been kind to you, I know that. You're doing amazing- and I mean that, from the bottom of my heart." Nate praised, and Brooke burst into tears, sobs wracking her body.

"Wow- I- I needed to hear that," Brooke sobbed, breaking into a watery smile. "Thank- thank you." She choked out and acted on instinct. She wrapped Nate into a tight hug, and he instantly returned it.

Nate felt tears prick his eyes, but wiped them away. "Of course, Brooke. I love you, with all the stars and the moon." He murmured, and a wail left Brooke's lips, and Nate held his daughter in his arms as she cried- an action he's not done in five years.

* * *

Nate had given Brooke her mother's necklace, which was stainless steel with a small compass charm, and a binder. The binder held all of Brooke's medical records, her birth certificate, and some other things that Brooke was somewhat excited to look through. She had gotten answers, and she trusted Nate. It might be the exhaustion and trauma, but Brooke knew _her father-_ not James, wasn't lying. His words were too _genuine_ , and Brooke put her full faith in the man. She also knew she had to go to Mary- Nate had told her to not get mad at Ji because he was just doing what Jane had told him to do. And Brooke didn't want to start a _power ranger holy war_ anyways, and Ji was just doing what he was told. She honestly felt guilty for him, because he had to lie for so long.

Brooke parked her car, happy to be back in Panorama. She was happy to have answers- and an actual adult in her family that she could truly trust. Brooke was walking through the park, texting Casper, and just telling him about the mountain. She didn't tell him about Amaris- because Brooke didn't know if that was a hallucination or not, but the rest of it was fair game. However, her happy mood fell into one of general annoyance when she smelt nighlok. It was faint, but Brooke knew _damn well_ that there weren't gap sensors in the woods, so she let out a sigh.

Well, at least she could try out the moon disk- see if it was worth falling down a mountain for. Brooke swung her backpack over her shoulders, crouching down and pulling out the small box. It has the Wolfe family crest on it, and upon opening it, grey eyes flashed gold. Brooke gingerly picked up the disk, inspecting it. It was purple and had the phases of the moon on it, then disappearing into a flurry of silver particles. Brooke shut the box and shoved it back into her backpack, zipping the backpack up and shouldering it once again.

Then, she shifted. Eating a decent meal and getting _some_ sleep gave Brooke enough energy to fight, and she could confidently say that. She knew the adrenaline rush would kick in after a while as well, so it was just a matter of time.

Wolf-Brooke padded through the woods- and soon it became very easy to find the nighlok, as a clear slime was covering various plants and trees in the forest. Walking up to the slime that was on the base of a tree, the brown wolf sniffed at it, letting out a whine at the smell of nighlok. _Well, that's something,_ wolf-Brooke thought, following the slime through the woods- and soon broke into a sprint at the sounds of someone, or _something,_ talking. Soon, she reached what seemed like a valley that held a stone well in the middle, the well being surrounded by various children's toys and stuffed animals.

Brooke shifted back, crouching behind a large rock. By the well, she saw a short nighlok that looked like a squid, who was Octoroo, one of Xandred's main nighlok. She also saw a nighlok that looked like a red ant- and Brooke cringed at the clear slime dripping from the monster's body. The slime nighlok was holding an axe and muttering something, but Brooke's eyes flashed as she spotted Kevin and Antonio, the gold and blue rangers having the same idea as the silver. They hadn't noticed Brooke yet, which was fine by her, and she took her samuraizer out of her backpack.

Flipping the device open, Brooke called Jayden and waited for him to pick up on the first ring, just like he always did. But, that wasn't the case, and Brooke stared down at her samuraizer, frowning at the device. It wasn't connecting, and she didn't feel like digging her phone out of her backpack, so the silver ranger just let out a heavy sigh. "Time to pick a god and pray," Brooke muttered, summoning her Wolf Kunai and sliding the purple moon disk on the weapon. It clicked into place, and Brooke felt her heart stop when Octoroo's high pitched voice rang through the valley.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are!" Octoroo taunted, and Brooke peered over the large rock to see the nighlok having his back towards her. Octoroo had his staff pointed at the boulder where Kevin and Antonio were hiding- and Brooke let out a snort as the gold and blue rangers instantly ducked behind the rock again as Octoroo fired.

The gold and blue rangers morphed and went to rush the nighlok, whose name was Antberry, which was fitting. The nighlok spit out a clear slime, and Brooke watched as Kevin and Antonio both lost their grips on their weapons. _Well, it was a job for claws._ The silver ranger didn't bother morphing and stepped out from her hiding spot.

"Your weapons are worthless! Like you!" Antberry cackled, and Brooke hopped down, spinning the moon disk on her Wolf Kunai. The leaf-shaped blade lit up a mix of silver and purple, and the silver ranger ran forward towards the nighlok and the blue and gold rangers.

The two were trying to fight Antberry hand-to-hand but were doing rather poorly since any attack they tried to land just slipped right off. _"Crescent Moon Slash!"_ Brooke yelled, swiping with the kunai. It hit the nighlok in its back, and then Brooke let the Wolf Kunai disappear, shifting.

"Brooke!" Both Antonio and Kevin called in unison, and the brown wolf barked in response.

Wolf-Brooke attacked Antberry, and it held quite well. That was, until the nighlok landed a strong strike on the wolf's side, sending it flying towards the blue and gold rangers. The brown wolf hit the ground with a sharp whine, and Brooke shifted back, grimacing somewhat at the pain that flared in her side. Still, it could be dealt with. Brooke willed in her claws, getting ready to attack again, but felt her heart stop and eyes widen as Octoroo pointed its staff at the three rangers and fired.

The three rangers landed behind a large boulder _god knows where_ the blue and the gold demorphing on impact. "Welcome back," Antonio greeted, and Brooke let out a groan as she picked herself up off of the ground. "You look like you've seen better days." He joked, motioning to the silver ranger's dirt-encrusted clothes, and Brooke shot him a glare.

"Yeah, yeah, you sure know how to treat a girl, Goldie," Brooke grumbled, turning her attention to Kevin- who was grumbling at his samuraizer. So, the silver ranger let out a sigh and turned her attention to the gold. "Hey, I have gauze." She offered, motioning to Antonio's wrist, him wrapping it with his hanker-chief.

Antonio nodded, smiling faintly. "Thanks, Brooke," He thanked, and Brooke hummed in response, taking off her backpack and unzipping one of the pockets. "Did you just get back?" He asked, and Brooke nodded, pulling out a roll of gauze and starting to wrap Antonio's wrist gently.

"Something like that. Took a four-hour nap in my car, but that's about it," Brooke answered, lying some. She didn't want to tell Antonio or Jayden about Nate yet- not until she had more answers. "Kevin, is there still no signal?" She asked the blue ranger, her attention unwavering from Antonio's wrist.

"Yes, but Antonio can't fight with that injury, and you're exhausted," Kevin stated, and Brooke rolled her eyes as she ripped the gauze with her teeth. "Just hide here until the coast is clear, and then go and get the others." He commanded, and Brooke's eyes flashed as she finished wrapping Antonio's wrist and heard Kevin sprint into the woods.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Brooke zipped up her backpack and readjusted it on her shoulders, willing away her claws and offering Antonio a hand. "He's going to probably get lost, or his ass kicked. Or both- so let's go." She urged, and Antonio nodded and took her hand. The silver ranger pulled the gold to his feet, the two rangers took off in the direction the blue went.

Brooke and Antonio found Kevin- _getting his ass kicked,_ and Antonio stepped in. The gold ranger saved the blue, and while they had a heart-to-heart moment, the silver zoned out, cycling through her thoughts. Her body _hurt_ , and Brooke wanted nothing more to take a nap, but, saving the world comes first. She only zoned back in when Kevin started walking, and Brooke raised her brows at Antonio, who grinned faintly and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Brooke let him, and she felt some of the exhaustion she tried to fight hit her like a freight train.

"Let's get this nighlok over with and go home. Hopefully Red won't be so slow this time," Brooke yawned, leaning into Antonio some as they followed Kevin. "It didn't go very well." She muttered, and Antonio frowned.

"At least it's over," Antonio reassured Brooke, who mumbled something he didn't catch. "I'm sure Jay will freak when Kevin's gone, and this'll end quickly." He spoke soothingly, and Brooke yawned again.

"Let's hope, Goldie. Let's hope."

* * *

Brooke shifted back when she reached the top of the incline, Kevin at her heels. However, Antonio was struggling, and Brooke was somewhat surprised when Kevin offered his hand and pulled Antonio up. The three rangers stared at the small army of moogers, the trio settling into fighting stances.

"Take a deep breath, the battle's about to begin," Antonio advised, and he took his hanker-chief off of his neck, tearing the fabric into three pieces with ease. "Tie your weapons to your wrists. It'll help with the slime." He urged, handing Brooke and Kevin each a piece of his hanker-chief.

"Good thinking!" Kevin praised, and Antonio smiled some as the three rangers took out their samuraizers- and morpher, flipping the devices open. Brooke activated the brush portion of her samuraizer, steeling her nerves. _It was now or never._

_"Go Go Samurai!"_

_"Samurai Morpher!"_

The three rangers morphed into their suits, tied their weapons to their wrists, and the battle commenced. The three cut through moogers with ease, sprinting to where they had originally seen Antberry and Octoroo. Antberry had his axe raised, getting ready to dice a bicycle, but before it could, the dragon zord flew over, knocking the axe out of its hands and down the well. Octoroo exclaimed _something_ about that, but Brooke blocked it out.

She just focused on keeping herself alive, the silver ranger slashing through moogers with ease. Her body ached, but she pushed it and her exhaustion aside, ducking under a mooger's swing. Spying Octoroo and Antberry- retreating _yet_ _again,_ Brooke cut down one last mooger before turning to Kevin and Antonio. "Good work you two! Let's go!" She called over her shoulder, sprinting after the two nighlok, the blue and gold rangers at her heels.

The three cornered the two nighlok in a grassy clearing, Octoroo pointing a stubby finger at the silver, blue, and gold rangers. "There they are! You three just destroyed my favorite toy!" The squid nighlok spat and Antberry readied its blade.

However, before the nighlok could say anything, Brooke traded out the moon disk for the wolf disk and spun the disk, the Wolf Kunai lighting up silver. The silver ranger called out the attack, and was surprised to hear, and see, another one follow it up.

_"Lone Wolf!"_

_"Blazing Strike!"_

The silver and red attacks hit both of the nighlok and knocked them off their feet, the two monsters letting out noises of shock. Brooke snapped her attention to where the attack came from, and spying Jayden's bright red ranger suit filled her with a sense of joy. She felt herself smile widely under her helmet- and Brooke _didn't know why_ she was this happy to see Jayden, but she was.

However, Octoroo did not share the same joy Brooke felt. "Red Ranger." The nighlok growled, Jayden just resting his spin-sword on his shoulder.

"Kevin, Antonio, Brooke! You guys okay?" Emily called down to the three rangers, and Brooke nodded, wasting no time to stand by Jayden's side.

 _"Fantastico_ now. Sure glad you guys showed up." Antonio responded, and the seven samurai rangers formed their traditional line as Jayden explained that they knew Kevin's routine. Then, Octoroo disappeared through a crack, and Brooke and Jayden nodded at each other.

The silver and red rangers brought their hands up to the disks on their weapons. "Let's end this, Red," Brooke muttered as she spun the wolf disk, and her Wolf Kunai lit up silver. _"Full Pack!"_ She yelled, feeling the energy draining from her body as she slashed with her kunai.

 _"Blazing Strike!"_ Jayden fired off his attack as well, and soon the nighlok was ablaze, the yellow, pink, and green rangers rushing the nighlok. The three rangers landed their attacks, and the red ranger turned his attention to the blue and the gold. "Go ahead guys, put him on spin cycle."

Brooke staggered back some as Antonio and Kevin ran forward. She felt _bad_ and wanted to throw up again. "Red, can you handle megamode without me? I- I'm sorry," She forced out and stumbled, her suit disappearing in a flash of silver. "I just… don't feel right."

Jayden took in Brooke's pale face and caught her before she fell. "Of course. Just hang on, alright?" He murmured, hearing as the nighlok exploded. He pushed aside his own worry, setting Brooke down on the grass and handling the nighlok's second form.

* * *

After the team, sans Brooke, defeated the nighlok's second form, the seven rangers returned to the Shiba House. Brooke had taken a much-needed shower, changing into clean clothes, and was now flipping through the binder Nate gave her. It was pretty self-explanatory to behind with, it held Brooke's birth certificate, social security card, and things like that, all of them being in sheet protectors. But, Brooke felt her heart stop when she turned to something that was very different than the others- a handwritten letter written by her mother.

_Nate,_

_If you're reading this, I'm most likely already gone. For that, I would like to apologize. Written words mean nothing now, I know, as my actions have already been done. While my actions are, indeed, an act of cowardice, I will provide a means of explaining them. It's what you deserve- it's what Brooke deserves, even if she won't remember this at the end of all things._

_You see, Brooke isn't a shifter. Well, she_ _**wasn't.** _ _When she was born, she was one hundred percent human. Which was perfect, in actuality, since all I wanted was for her to live a normal life. When she was born, I held the ignorance that I had the ability, that the rangers and I held the ability, to finally end this war. That she wouldn't need to be the silver ranger, and we would be able to go about lives with a sense of normalcy._

_However, this war isn't ending with us, Nate. You and I both know that, and they'll need Brooke to be the next silver ranger. They'll need a_ _**shifter** _ _. And Brooke wasn't a shifter, but the Shiba Clan took it in their hands to make her one. The bruises near her veins weren't because of checkups. It was blood transfusion, blood_ _**experimentation.** _ _Using the blood of past silver rangers, of past shifters, they made it so Brooke is a shifter now. When she came home and I saw the changes, I realized I can't stay. I cannot look my daughter in the eyes and not see how I have damned her into a fate that will make it so she most likely dies too early, too young._

_However, I have made it so that she'll forget about the fate she was thrust into. When she turns twelve, you will not have custody anymore, and she'll be in James' care, where she can live a relatively normal life with him and Maxxwell. To combat her resisting this change when she comes twelve, Mary will erase her memories leading up to that point. She will forget who she is, who_ _**we are.** _ _And, to put this plan in effect, I will die. I have made a deal with the Nighlok King, and he will kill me._

_I understand this is an act of cowardice, but, once you are reading this, I'm already dead. The plan is set in motion, and nothing can stop it now. I have made it so it cannot be stopped, the plan that will give Brooke the sense of normalcy I always wanted. This is a good thing, I promise. Brooke will be safe, and this isn't for nothing._

_I hope you come to understand this in due time._

_Sincerely,  
_ _Jane Wolfe_

Brooke saw tears fall onto the sheet protector, and she wiped them away with clawed hands- _clawed._ A gift that wasn't her own, something she never truly had. None of what she thought she had was hers- it was all _lies._ They were lies Brooke knew she needed to break through, she knew she needed to hear the truth. With shaky hands, Brooke reached for her phone and unlocked it, calling Mary.

"Hey Mary, I found something out. About Mom, about _me,_ " Brooke started as soon as Mary picked up the phone. "I met Nate, and I know of everything now. The plan, the fact I'm not truly a shifter, and how Mom technically killed herself. And _I need answers. I need to hear it from you._ I have spent two years trying to figure out who I am- and you have done nothing to help me. You have watched me struggle, and didn't help. In fact, you made things worse. You know that, don't you?" She asked, trying to keep her tone neutral, Brooke having a slight lisp due to her canines.

There was silence on the other end of the line for almost a full minute, then Mary let out a heavy sigh. _"I know that, Brooke,"_ She stated, sounding more tired than Brooke's ever heard her. _"Just… come over, alright? It's better if we do this face to face. I will tell you everything- I promise."_ Mary promised, and Brooke willed her inhumane features away.

"I'll trust your word, Mary. Please give me something to trust." Brooke muttered, ending the call and staring down at her phone. Tears fell onto the screen, but she wiped them away.

Taking a deep breath, Brooke tried to ignore the shaking in her hands. Her heart rate went into overdrive, and she couldn't hear anything but her heartbeat in her ears. Still, Brooke tried to ignore it as she got off of her bed and shut the binder, sliding on her vans.

 _I got answers, but- no. This is what I've wanted. I need to uncover the truth,_ Brooke reassured herself, taking another deep breath and shrugged on Casper's leather jacket, shoving the normal ensemble in the pockets. Steeling her nerves, she grabbed the binder and left her room, shutting the door behind her.

The rangers, sans Kevin and Jayden, were in the kitchen, and five pairs of eyes fell on Brooke. "What's that? A school project?" Mike jokingly asked, pointing at the binder, but before Brooke could answer, Emily piped up.

"Hey Brooke, are you alright? You look a little pale." Emily pointed out, and Brooke forced a smile, nodding.

"I'm fine," Brooke responded, and Antonio raised his eyebrows, him silently calling bullshit. Still, he didn't pry. "The binder… it's just _family matters_. I'll be back, tell Red I'm at Little Cloaks." She didn't wait for a response, leaving the Shiba House.

As gravel crunched under her feet, Brooke felt tears roll down her face again. Still, she wiped them away with the sleeve of Casper's leather jacket. This is what she wanted, and Brooke knew there was no turning back now.

The curtains had been pulled, and Brooke had to face the music.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a/n: welcome to the "Family Matters" arc, also known as the "Brooke's mental health goes to shit" arc.
> 
> Sorry for making the arc multiple chapters, but I wrote most of this chapter- about 9,000+ words of it, in one sitting, and got pretty burnt out because of it. But, answers are coming next chapter- and I wanted them to have their own chapter, and a lot of stuff happened this chapter as well. I felt like if I did everything I want to happen regarding Brooke's past in one chapter it would be really jumbled and lengthy.
> 
> So to prevent that, and to also prevent me going fucking insane by writing a 20,000+ word part, I'm breaking it up. Sorry for not addressing everything right away, but I hope you guys understand.
> 
> Thanks for reading, as always! See you guys Wednesday! :)


	15. family matters (part two of two)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brooke realizes that destroying herself is not the best call- but it's all she has. She can't end up like her mother, after all.

**trigger warning: this chapter deals with darker topics and themes including: anxiety/panic attacks, and slight mentions of self-harm.**

* * *

Gold eyes met green, and Jane Wolfe's daughter and sister stared at each other, the tension between the two so thick it could be cut with a spin-sword. Panic was present in Brooke's expression, her body tense and face pale. Still, she tried to push it aside, because _this is what she wanted._ Laying her clawed hands on the table next to the binder and her mother's journal, Brooke wet her dry lips, struggling to find the right words. She wanted to just lose it and yell at Mary, but Brooke knew that wouldn't get her anywhere. So, she just ignored the feeling of her airway being restricted and started to speak.

"Please tell me, Mary. I need to know now, I- I feel like I deserve to know." Brooke urged, her voice cracking somewhat as she tried to fight back the oncoming anxiety attack.

It had started when she left the Shiba House, and Brooke found herself struggling to breathe more and more as time went on. Her racing heart pounded in her ears, and she didn't feel like _Brooke._ Her own voice sounded foreign to her, and it felt like everything had been shifted somewhat- out of place. She felt out of place, and Brooke bitterly reminded herself that she _was._ Being a shifter, no, being _made_ a shifter didn't exactly let her fit in with ease. Still, it was like the feeling had increased itself tenfold, especially the fact that she was _human,_ for a short period of her life, swirled in Brooke's brain. She couldn't even figure out _what_ to be mad or upset about, as there was a list, but none of it seemed justifiable. She wouldn't lash out at Jayden or the team- the had done nothing, and Ji, he was just doing as he was told. Brooke understood it, to a degree.

"Mary, please tell me," Brooke repeated herself, voice firmer now as her lips curled around her canines.

Mary let out a heavy sigh, green eyes full of remorse and guilt. "Brooke, your memories were erased for a reason. What you went through was incredibly traumatic, and I didn't want you to spiral again. I know you don't want to spiral again." She argued, sounding tired more than anything, and Brooke struggled to keep her temper in check as she struggled to breathe.

"I've found out most of it, Mary. There's no use on hiding it anymore," _Don't guilt-trip me._ Brooke defended, trying to keep her voice neutral, but there was a quiet growl accompanied by the words. "Tell me about Mom. Tell me what happened. _Please."_ She begged, and Mary nodded, letting out another sigh.

"Jane, your mother, had always craved normalcy, ever since we were kids, she wanted to be _human._ I could never really understand, but I tried to sympathize with her, to the best of my abilities. However, she had the same feelings you feel, not being able to fit in, no matter how much she had tried," Mary started, her voice quiet as Brooke's shoulders shook. Still, the silver ranger took the defensive as she did in battle. _There was no retreating now._ "When she became the silver ranger, the craving for normalcy increased. Jane had always hated being a ranger, and when she had you, she thought she had an escape. And she did, for a while. But, with that escape came jealousy. Jane was always jealous of the humanity you held, a gift she could never have."

_"She's human, Mary. Brooke's everything I wanted to be. She has everything I wanted. I'm jealous of my three-year-old daughter, and it's terrifying. When I see her- I get angry, and Nate's noticed. He's keeping Brooke away from me, and I don't blame him, but, fuck, it's heartbreaking."_

The words Jane had spoken once echoed in Mary's mind. Jane was never mentally stable, that much was abundantly clear, but it didn't excuse her actions, and Mary knew that. The strange sense to protect her older sister, the almost _worshipping_ light that Mary had put Jane in came rushing back after thirteen years. Brooke had always taken after Nate, physically and emotionally. Both tried to stay calm even when they were emotionally unstable and on the verge of breakdowns, and Mary saw that now. She saw the way Brooke's entire body shook underneath the leather jacket and the hoodie she wore underneath. Mary also saw the unwavering resolve in her niece's now gold eyes. Something about it was heartbreaking.

Brooke said nothing, trying to keep her emotions in check. So, her mom really never loved her. Well, she has a stepdad that didn't love her as well, so that wasn't a new feeling. It was an incredibly saddening feeling that Brooke wished wasn't real. It clawed at her heart and throat, and she wanted to cry. This whole thing made her want to cry, to throw up and erase her own memories. _Still, this is what she had wanted. Right? It was the truth._ An incredibly ugly truth that ripped away the naive illusion that Jane Wolfe was the superhero that Brooke had thought she was.

"You being a shifter- being _made_ into a shifter caused something inside of her to snap. Both Nate and I didn't know she was in such a bad mental state," Mary muttered, eyes downcast. "Jane had quit the team the day you started showing the signs that you were a shifter. Her escape wasn't an escape anymore, and she tried to say that you were the reason she wanted to run away. But, it was all _her._ Because she instantly sought out a new escape. That was with James and Maxx." She let out another sigh, and a choked growl came out of Brooke's throat.

Brooke curled her clawed hands tightly into fists. Her claws cut into the meaty parts of her palms, but, if anything, it was grounding. "If you knew she was so _fucked,_ why did you go with the plan? Why did you erase my memories? That's what I don't get, Mary. You made me forget about my two best friends, my _father. You destroyed Nate's life._ You and Mom collectively ruined so many _fucking lives, for what?_ " She spat, feeling the anger mixed with the fear and panic rise in her chest. This time, Brooke didn't try to push it aside. "You two ruined James' because you guys thrust me on him, and that made him lose his mind. Maxx's, by erasing his memories as well. Nate's, by taking his daughter away from him. If Jane Wolfe craved normalcy so much, why did she rip it from every damn person she met?! _Why did you let her?!"_ Brooke's voice cracked, and she felt the tears running down her cheeks as she tightened her fists. It stung a bit, and she saw some blood drip onto the table, but that was fine. Anything to keep her relatively in check.

Brooke also made the connection, that it was _her fault_ as well. If she wasn't put on James, Maxx would have a normal life. If her Mom hadn't lost her shit because of _her,_ the team- _the team._ The reason Xandred was still around was because of her, pretty much. Jane Wolfe had damned seven teenagers into a war, because of _her._ Brooke knew that it was her fault, that because of her, the cage symbol was never used. Xandred wasn't fully sealed away, and it all connected back to _her_. That fact alone made her want to throw up, and Brooke nearly did. Instead, she swallowed back her bile for a moment and waited for Mary to come up with a bullshit excuse because that's all it was. Bullshit excuses about a woman who caused more harm than good.

"I- It was her dying wish, Brooke." Mary forced out, and a bitter laugh left Brooke's lips, her eye twitching.

"Who gives a fuck!" Brooke yelled, rising from her seat and slamming a clawed hand on the table. "If I died and said "ruin some lives by erasing memories" as my final breaths, the team _wouldn't_! It wasn't about a dying wish, it was that Jane Wolfe had you wrapped up in her bullshit! You took away _everything_! My two friends who would do anything to protect me! My father, who told me he loved me- for the first time I remember! Why? _Why?_ She was _dead!_ You didn't have to do anything- but you _did!"_ Her voice was hoarse, and her words came out as growls more than anything. Tears rolled down Brooke's cheeks and fell onto the wooden table, claws scratching at the dark wood as Brooke's body shook violently. "I have spent two fucking years asking you questions that you knew the answers to! And you just _lied and lied,_ and it's incredibly sickening to come to that realization, you know that, right?" Brooke tried to keep her voice somewhat quiet, but it was rising with each word that she spoke.

"I thought it was the right thing at the time, Brooke. I'm sorry, I truly am." Mary apologized, but she knew, by the look on Brooke's face, that it meant nothing. She didn't blame her niece.

Brooke felt her stomach churn and more bile rise in her throat. "If you're sorry, then give me my memories back. You can do that, _right?"_ She spat and felt any hope she had of things turning out somewhat right die when Mary shook her head.

"Jane used a symbol that cannot be reversed, and she made a deal with a nighlok to strengthen it. I'm sorry, Brooke," Mary answered, her voice barely above a whisper, and Brooke didn't want to hear anymore. Well, _there goes that._

So, she just left. Brooke quickly made her way to the door of the apartment and forced it open, taking the rickety staircase two steps at a time. Once she reached the woods, Brooke allowed herself to throw up, feeling the stomach acid burn her throat. She knew it was due to stress and the fact that she internalized the anxiety attack for as long as she did- it's happened before. The one good thing she hoped to gain out of the ordeal, her memories, so she could remember Antonio and Jayden, were unreachable. Go figure. She wasn't even that surprised, it was just _saddening._ This whole thing was saddening, and Brooke felt pathetic as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

Shifting, the brown wolf started running back to the Shiba House, Brooke coming up with a plan to at least make herself lessen some of the guilt she felt. She would do what her mother chose not to do, she would _end this damn war._ And that was by mastering the cage symbol, which was something she could do. It wasn't easy, but it was easier than dealing with the guilt and anger she felt. If she had to almost kill herself to do so, _so be it._ Brooke could deal with working herself to death, that was somewhat easy, in actuality.

Bursting through the woods, Brooke shifted back as she tried to control her breathing and shaky hands. She made her way to the middle of the outdoor dojo, flipping open her samuraizer. It made the familiar noise as she opened it, and it was strangely comforting. Taking a deep breath, Brooke activated the brush portion of her samuraizer and started drawing the symbol. It shone in silver, and gold eyes stared at it for a moment.

Letting out a deep breath, Brooke rooted her feet to the ground. _"Cage."_ She called, activating the symbol.

It instantly self-destructed, and Brooke just picked herself off of the ground. It was a cycle that repeated itself, over and over again. In a flash of silver, Brooke would end up on the ground, and she would pick herself up, drawing the symbol again. Her head pounded, but she didn't _care._ The blood from her nose dripped onto the grey hoodie she wore underneath Casper's leather jacket, but she didn't care. She couldn't feel anything, and Brooke had started crying again after she hit the ground for the umpteenth time. But, she didn't care. The cage symbol had to be done, and feelings meant _nothing._

"I won't let them down. I'm not like Mom. I won't let them down," Brooke repeated to herself as she picked herself up off of the ground. Picking up her samuraizer in a clawed hand, she wiped some of the blood off of her face. _It meant nothing._ "I'm going to end this war. I won't let them down. _Cage!"_ Activating the symbol, Brooke tumbled to the ground again. Her samuraizer clattered on the ground, but Brooke couldn't hear anything besides her heartbeat in her ears and her own ragged breathing.

It was easier that way, and Brooke forced herself to her feet yet again. Her vision blurred, but she didn't care. _It didn't matter._ She stumbled some, but it didn't matter. Brooke made it over to her samuraizer and picked it up again, drawing the symbol.

After many more failed attempts, Brooke found herself unable to get up anymore. Her body ached, and her head pounded- but she was too exhausted to even feel most of the pain. Blood dripped from her nose onto the ground, and Brooke felt her entire body scream in protest as she grabbed her samuraizer and flipped it open one last time. With shaky hands and the last amount of strength she had left, Brooke drew out the symbol.

 _"Cage,"_ Brooke called weakly and was too exhausted to even feel happy about what happened next. The symbol, instead of exploding, just disappeared in a flash of silver sparks. Meaning, it had been mastered. And it was the last thing Brooke saw before the world went black.

* * *

The team had gotten back, as Ji had given them the rest of the day off, as the man was out of the Shiba House himself, and Mia and Emily were walking to their rooms when their eyes landed on Brooke. She was unconscious, clutching her samuraizer weakly in one hand, and both girls could see the blood, both dried and wet, on her face.

"Get Jayden," Mia commanded, and Emily nodded, the yellow ranger going to find the red as the pink ran over to the silver.

Emily had found him in the meeting room, playing with his lion zord. However, he stopped when Emily ran in, the lion zord folding back up in his hand. "It's Brooke, she's outside- and she's unconscious." She explained frantically, and Jayden's eyes widened slightly.

He left his zord on the coffee table, Jayden breaking into somewhat of a sprint as his heartbeat pounded in his ears. His heart rate increased when he saw Mia gently shaking Brooke's shoulder, the pink ranger having a look of worry on her face. Jayden couldn't even find the words to speak as he ran over, sitting on his knees next to Mia. Fear clawed at his heart as he took in Brooke's bloody face, and then her samuraizer, which was covered in dried blood.

"It's overexertion, mixed with something else. Her hands look like she's been clawing at them," Mia pointed out, and Jayden noticed the scratches on the palms of her hands. They weren't deep, but still deep enough to draw blood, as dried blood coated her palms. "It would explain the blood on her samuraizer." She added, and Jayden nodded.

"Antonio mentioned something that she had to do something with her family, but-" Jayden's voice choked in his throat for a moment. _"This?"_ He gingerly grabbed the samuraizer out of Brooke's hand and noticed that the brush portion was still flipped.

Whatever Mia was about to say got cut off by Brooke stirring, and Jayden instantly helped her to an upright position. Some of her hair stuck to her face because of the dried blood, but Mia gently pushed it out of her face. "Hey, Brooke, it's Mia and Jayden, alright? You're okay." Mia soothed, and Brooke blinked owlishly, her gaze flickering between Mia and Jayden.

Then she seemed to come to her senses, as Brooke instantly latched onto Jayden, clutching him as tightly as she could. "Red- Red, I'm sorry. I'm sorry." She sobbed, and both Jayden and Mia shared a wide-eyed look. Still, Jayden handed Brooke's bloody samuraizer to Mia and then wrapped his arms around Brooke.

"Hey, it's okay," Jayden soothed, rubbing small circles into Brooke's back as she cried. "Let's get you cleaned up, and then we can talk. It's gonna be okay." He reassured Brooke, who only tightened her hold on Jayden and let out a wail.

Still, with some struggle, Mia and Jayden got Brooke into the med bay, who had stopped crying. Her eyes were red and puffy, and she seemed distant as Mia wiped off her face and hands, also bandaging them. Meanwhile, Jayden scrubbed the blood off of Brooke's samuraizer, watching her blood mix with the water and flow down the drain. Once it was clean, Jayden dried the device off and stuck it into the pocket of his overcoat.

"Red." Brooke's weak voice snapped him out of his thoughts, and Jayden instantly made his way over to her.

Kneeling in front of Brooke, Jayden pushed some of her blood-encrusted hair out of her face. "I'm right here." He reassured Brooke, who nodded and then looked at Mia.

The silver ranger extended a shaky hand to the pink, who took in gently and rubbed small circles into the back of her hand. "I'm- I'm sorry," Brooke mumbled, and Jayden frowned, scanning her face. The expression of guilt she wore made his heart hurt. "I found out some stuff- 'bout my memories and my mom. It wasn't happy things." She whispered, squeezing her eyes shut.

"Hey, it's alright. We can talk after you get cleaned up, and get some rest, alright?" Mia reassured Brooke, who nodded faintly. "I've got her." She murmured to Jayden, who nodded.

The two helped Brooke to her feet, and she instantly stumbled, military boots squeaking on the wooden floor some. Jayden caught her before she could fall, and Mia slowly led her out of the med bay. After the two girls left, Jayden took Brooke's samuraizer out of his pocket, turning the device over in his hands. He knew what she was doing- working on the cage symbol for far too long, and that was worrying. He didn't want her working herself to death, and Jayden knew he had the ability to take away Brooke's samuraizer if need be, but he didn't _want to._ Something in his mind was saying that it would do more harm than good. Jayden also didn't even know what caused Brooke to really spiral, she had seemed relatively fine when he last saw her. This whole thing caused worry to claw at his heart, but Jayden just tried ignoring it, to the best of his abilities.

So he just left the med bay and made a beeline to the outdoor dojo again. Sitting on one of the concrete benches, Jayden didn't allow himself to get lost in thought. His thoughts were too out of control for that, and he didn't want to deal with somewhat sorting them. So, he just turned his gaze to the woods, shutting his thoughts and emotions off. It worked, and Jayden entered the familiar dissociative state, feeling a sort of numbness take place of his emotions. _It was easier that way._

That state was somewhat broken when Antonio walked to the doorway. "Do you wanna talk, or be alone?" His tone was calm, and it was a question he and Brooke always asked when they were little. They knew Jayden just needed to be alone sometimes, so they gave him the option to be. They just checked up on him once and then left.

"Talk," Jayden answered, letting his thoughts swirl back in his head as he sat up some. Antonio nodded and sat down next to him, and the two realized it still felt somewhat empty without Brooke. "She tried to destroy herself- I don't know what's going on with her. When she regained her bearings some she instantly latched onto me and cried. It's worrying." He allowed himself to speak his mind, for the moment. Sitting in negative thoughts will get him nowhere, and he knew that.

"Could it have to be due to her memories? She said she was dealing with family matters, and that's the only thing I can think of." Antonio wondered aloud, and Jayden opened his mouth to respond but was stopped by another person at the doorway.

It was Mia, the pink ranger looking somewhat relieved. "Brooke's alright now, but, she said some things that you two might understand more than me," She started, and both Jayden and Antonio shared a confused look, furrowing their brows at Mia. "She was kind of mumbling so I couldn't get all of it, but I had something to do with her mom. And something _must've happened_ because she's blaming herself for Xandred coming back. That's why she looks so guilty." Mia explained, and Jayden was more confused than anything. So was Antonio, and the two just sat in stunned silence for a moment.

"Let's go to Ji," Jayden urged, and Antonio and Mia nodded. As the three walked to his office, Jayden spoke again. "That explains why she worked herself so hard, it was most likely due to the cage symbol. But the rest?" The question floated in the air, not getting an answer, as Jayden knocked on the door.

"Jayden," Ji greeted, but the older man soon took in the red ranger's worried expression. "Is something the matter?" He asked, and Mia nodded.

"It's Brooke. She worked herself half to death and then said that Xandred coming back was _her_ fault. It had to do with her mom as well." Mia explained, and Ji seemed taken aback for a moment.

Still, he regained his composure rather quickly. "I'm not going to tell the others, as that is Brooke's right, but I will provide an explanation," Ji started, and the pink, gold, and red rangers crowded into his office, Antonio shutting the door behind the three. "The silver rangers were always shifters, as it meant they held more symbol power than humans do. And the cage symbol takes a lot of symbol power, far more than the sealing symbol, and it's not something a human being is able to master. However, when Brooke was born, she was human." Ji explained, and the three rangers looked somewhat pale.

"Human? But she's a shifter now, right?" Antonio questioned, his brows knit. "It's in Brooke's blood." He pointed out, and Ji nodded.

"It was multiple years of blood transfusion- blood taken from past shifters, but as you can tell, it was successful. Jane had always been against the idea, but they didn't give her a say in it- and when the process was complete, she snapped. Some of it was justified, some of it was not. She left the team abruptly, and a couple of days later, she killed herself," Ji explained, and Jayden didn't know _what_ to feel. So, he just shut his emotions off again. "Jane set a plan in motion, which erased Brooke's memories about everything. And from what it seems, she's connected the dots. But, she most likely feels guilty for her mother's actions, as the cage symbol was never mastered, meaning that Xandred wasn't truly sealed away." Ji finished, and the three rangers stood in silence for a moment.

Mia was the first one to speak. "But Brooke- she had no control over her mother's actions. It's not her fault." She stated, glancing at Jayden, who let out a heavy sigh.

It was somewhat because of Jane that his father was dead- Jayden knew that now. But blaming Brooke for it? He couldn't do that, and he _wouldn't._ "It explains why she was working on the cage symbol. It was probably her way of dealing with the guilt, to a degree. But, Mia's right. It's not her fault." He added, and Ji nodded.

"I think you need to tell her that," Ji advised, and Jayden was the first one out of the room.

Meanwhile, Brooke stood at her bathroom sink, inspecting her now wet hair. It was getting far too long for her liking, now past her collar bones. So, she let out a sigh, digging through the things she kept under the sink and finding her scissors. Then, she went to work. As the strands of black hair fell to the bathroom floor, Brooke allowed herself to _think._ Well, think to the best of her abilities, as her brain had somewhat tapped out and was now full of radio static, but still. She didn't have her samuraizer, and Brooke knew it was presumably with Jayden, and she just hoped that he didn't take it away. It was just a lapse in judgement, a heat of the moment thing- at least that's what Brooke kept telling herself. She knew she would do it _again and again_ if it meant the cage symbol could be mastered. And she had gotten one of the three symbols mastered, so it was _working_.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Brooke stared at her reflection, eyes flashing. She had cut her hair shorter than she meant to, her now stopping at the middle of her neck instead of her shoulders like she planned it. Not that she really minded, and Brooke debated giving herself bangs- but then decided _against_ that idea, as she knew that was probably not going to end well. So, Brooke just plugged in her hair dryer and dried her hair, watching as it poofed up a bit. It made it seem even shorter now, but Brooke kind of liked it. For a crisis haircut- _it wasn't bad._

After she swept her hair off of the bathroom floor and cleaned up some, Brooke pulled on Jayden's hoodie. Grey eyes flashed gold when they landed on her dirty backpack that she still had yet to unpack. Everything was going far too quickly, and Brooke wondered how she didn't pass out from exhaustion- _wait._ Well, she did and wasn't really surprised about it.

Letting out a tired sigh, Brooke padded over her to her backpack and dug through it, pulling out her phone. It was half dead, and Brooke swiped through the missed call notifications from Mary. Instead, she just opened her messaging app and started to text Casper. It was about nothing in particular, just easy conversation that could get her mind off of things. Brooke silently thanked him for that as she crawled into bed and laid on her side, laughing quietly at a joke her friend made. Soon, she found herself getting tired, and Brooke allowed the exhaustion to wash over her.

* * *

Brooke woke up to a light knock at her door, and she raised her head, peering at the door. Did she even want to talk to someone, or would it just trigger another breakdown? She didn't really know, so Brooke just let out a deep sigh and hoped that it was Jayden or Antonio. She wanted _physical affection,_ someone to hold her, but she wouldn't voice that wish aloud.

"Brooke? It's Jayden." Jayden spoke through the door, and Brooke rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. She wasn't really surprised, and partially relieved, as Jayden didn't press for answers. And worst-case scenario, Brooke could just tease him.

"It's open," Brooke responded, and she forced herself to sit up, watching as Jayden walked into her room and shut the door behind him. "Heya, Red." She greeted with a yawn, her voice groggy.

"Sorry if I woke you up. I just wanted to check on you." Jayden explained, and Brooke shot him a tired and reassuring smile.

"It's alright, sorry for losing it," Brooke mumbled the last part, drawing her knees to her chest. Her body ached, and she tried to ignore it. "It's just been a lot, and I know that's not an excuse. I'm letting my emotions get in front of our mission, I'm sorry." The guilt she felt earlier returned, and Jayden seemed to notice it.

"It's alright. Can I sit next to you?" Jayden asked, and when Brooke nodded, he kicked off his shoes and sat next to Brooke on her bed. "Ji told me most of it. It's alright for you to be shaken up about it." He reassured Brooke, who let out a shaky sigh.

She scooted closer to Jayden, who instantly wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Brooke allowed him to, and let the familiar smell of the forest and smoke calm her nerves some. "That saves me a lot of heartache and tears." Brooke joked bitterly, shaking her head faintly.

"Did you cut your hair?" Jayden blurted, and Brooke couldn't help it. She laughed, and it was a _happy laugh_. It was the first time today- and yesterday, where she found something funny.

"Never change, Red. You're adorable," Brooke laughed, and Jayden stiffened somewhat, his cheeks becoming the color of his ranger suit. "But to answer your question, yes. I cut it shorter than I meant to, and it's just a sense of control, y'know?" She answered, and Jayden tried to ignore the pounding of his heart in his ears.

"I- I like it. It looks good." Jayden stammered out, barely audible, and Brooke felt the corners of her lips twitch. _He was cute._

Brooke scooted closer to his side, and Jayden silently offered his shoulder so that she could rest her head on it. "Thanks, Red. It's one of the only good things out of the last couple of days." The cheery atmosphere fell, and Brooke took Jayden's silent invitation. She rested her head on his shoulder, and she felt Jayden's hand come up and run through her hair. Brooke let the bittersweet feeling of peace and stress watch over her. Tears pricked her eyes, and she blinked them away before they could fall.

"You don't have to feel guilty about what your mom did, Brooke. It's not your fault," Jayden spoke softly, and Brooke wrapped her arms around his waist. She held him tightly, and Jayden could feel her shake, so he pulled her closer. "You're too hard on yourself. It's not your fault that this war happened, and you're putting too much weight on your shoulders. This is going to sound extremely hypocritical, but, you shouldn't work yourself to exhaustion, Brooke. You're doing just fine." He reassured her, and Brooke fought back the urge to cry.

"I can't even get my memories back. It's not possible, and- and that was the one thing I was hoping would come out of it. I wanted to remember you and Antonio." Brooke choked out, and Jayden frowned.

"You're here. That's enough for me and Antonio. You know that," Jayden reassured Brooke, his voice gentle. "We'll make memories- hey, I know it's cheesy." He huffed, scowling at Brooke from where she was laughing with her head on his shoulder.

Brooke snorted. "Sorry, I'm just tired, and you're funny. I know you don't try to be, but you are," She commented, and Jayden rolled his eyes playfully. "But, you're right. At least I could meet you guys, even if we're fighting a war." Brooke yawned, and Jayden smiled fondly down at her.

"You want to cuddle?" Jayden murmured, ignoring the heat rising to his face and the pounding of his heart. A mix of joy and embarrassment filled him as Brooke nodded, and he found himself holding Brooke in his arms as she yawned again. "Get some rest, Brooke, you deserve it. I'll be right here when you wake up." Jayden vowed, and Brooke nodded, quickly falling asleep again.

As Jayden stared up at the ceiling, he wondered how he got here. Not that he was complaining, but, still. If somebody told him Brooke Wolfe would've gladly sought out his embrace, he would've called bullshit. But, here she was, and Jayden didn't mind. He welcomed it, as it was the time where he's ever truly seen her at _peace_. He just hoped that he could keep holding her like this, for as long as she could.

* * *

When Brooke woke up, Jayden was gone. Which was a little disappointing, but she didn't hold it against him. Glancing at the clock on her phone, she realized it was time for dinner. _Ah, that made sense._ Brooke wasn't very hungry- and she was somewhat _scared_ to eat because everything she's eaten today she's thrown up. She knew it was due to stress, it used to be a common thing when she was younger.

Letting out a groan of general annoyance, Brooke rolled onto her back, staring at the ceiling. This whole thing was a _clusterfuck_ , and the anger and sadness had left, leaving Brooke with nothing besides a strange sense of numbness. It all hadn't seemed real- but from the soreness of her muscles and faint headache, she knew it was real. Jayden still had her samuraizer, and Brooke didn't know what he was going to do with it, she was too scared to ask. Because while she cared for Jayden immensely, and liked hearing him talk, his ten-minute lectures were _less_ than ideal. Speaking of Jayden- Brooke knew her mom was probably rolling in her grave because her daughter was actively affectionate with the son of the man she hated. Which was great to Brooke, anything to spite the people who fucked up her life. And if it was as easy as being affectionate and friendly to Jayden Shiba? Well, Brooke did that on an everyday basis. It was an easy thing to do.

After staring at the ceiling for a couple of minutes, Brooke came up with a game plan. She could at least see the others- and if they asked questions, she could just lie. Lying was easy, faking emotions was somewhat easy. Sitting up, Brooke changed her cloth shorts and Jayden's hoodie for a pair of Adidas sweatpants and a grey long-sleeved shirt, brushing her hair. Slipping on her vans, Brooke left her room, shutting the door behind her as she slowly walked into the direction of the kitchen. Her senses started to kick in, and she could hear Mike's laughter from here. Along with the smell of fish- that meant Antonio was on dinner duty. _Thank god._ Brooke knew if she tried to stomach Mia's cooking tonight, she'd be throwing up from stress _and_ general disgust.

"Brooke!" Emily's cheery voice snapped Brooke out of her thoughts, and the silver ranger jumped in shock somewhat. "Glad to see you're okay." The yellow ranger greeted, and Brooke forced a small smile.

 _Was she okay?_ Brooke didn't really know. Physically she was doing alright, but _mentally?_ That was a mess. Still, Brooke didn't bring that to light. "Thanks, Em. I'm sorry to worry you all." She apologized, grey eyes flashing as she scanned the team.

"Hey, it's alright! Happens to the best of us, glad to see our favorite werewolf is still kickin'." Mike returned, and Brooke laughed faintly, trying to ignore the guilt that resurfaced.

Jayden told her not to worry, but Brooke still felt guilty, it's not like it was something that could be easily dealt with. Still, Brooke tried to not let it show- and made a noise of surprise when she felt someone ruffle her, now shorter, hair. Eyes flashed, and the silver ranger leveled a playful glare at the gold, who grinned.

"You cut your hair." Antonio pointed out, and Brooke raised an eyebrow with a grin, rolling her eyes.

"Glad to know you have the ability to see, Goldie. Was really worried about that one," Brooke fired back and combed her fingers through her hair. She realized her claws were bared and her hands were shaking somewhat, but she tried to ignore it. "Were you on dinner duty? I thought I smelt fish." She asked Antonio, who nodded.

"We just finished dinner, actually. Jayden's with Ji if you're looking for him." Mia added, and Brooke shook her head.

"Just coming to say hi," _I'm so sorry._ "It's all good, Red has to do-" _His job. I take him away from his job._ The team noticed that Brooke had frozen in mid-sentence, Antonio looking at his childhood friend with concern. She had seemingly gone blank, but after a couple of seconds, Brooke had seemingly regained her composure. "Red has to do his job." She finished, sounding somewhat distant.

Emily placed a gentle hand on Brooke's shoulder, who flinched slightly, which caused Emily to frown. "Brooke, are you alright? You seem a little out of it." She murmured, and Mike nodded.

"I've never seen you look so freaked. Everythin' okay?" Mike questioned, and Brooke willed her claws and canines away.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm just tired, y'know? Been a long two days," Brooke lied, forcing a smile. It was easier to lie, to shove the emotions down until they either disappeared or exploded. "I was just coming to say hi, and goodnight, I guess," A nervous laugh fell from Brooke's lips, and her canines and claws grew in again, her eyes landing on pure gold. "I'll see you guys tomorrow." _I'm so sorry. It's my fault- it's all my fault._

"Do you want someone to sit with you?" Antonio asked, and Brooke shook her head.

"No, no. It's alright, I'm alright. I'm just gonna go get some fresh air." Brooke answered quickly, and the others didn't get time to respond before she was already out of the kitchen.

Seeing the team be _happy_ caused her to feel guilty. And Brooke didn't even know why, she knew that most of her feelings were irrational and that she should just work on blocking them out. But, she couldn't. The urge to work on the cage symbol until she was passed out of the ground consumed Brooke, but she knew she couldn't do that. For a multitude of reasons, so she just did the second thing she knew how to do. Just force down the emotions she felt- she wouldn't bother anyone else. While Casper actually had some knowledge about psychology and was planning to go to med school to become a therapist, Brooke knew that dumping her problems onto him would be a really _shitty_ move as a friend. She relied on others too much, and Brooke chided herself for that as she shifted and hopped onto one of the concrete benches. She couldn't cry in her wolf form, and Brooke didn't know if that was a good or bad thing.

God, Brooke wished she had never pressed Mary for answers, had never been so _naïve_ to think that her memories were happy. She wished she hadn't been so ignorant in the first place to want to get her memories back. It was all _wishes._ Wishes that could never be fulfilled and Brooke knew that. What she wasn't prepared for was when her brain forcibly shifted her back, and Brooke tried to shift again, tried calming her mind enough, but it didn't work. The farthest she got was brown and white fur sprouting on her hands and her fully bared claws and canines. _Go_ _figure._ The panic she tried to keep under wraps cracked through the barriers she put up, but Brooke just shut it out.

 _It was easier to not deal with it,_ Brooke reminded herself as she drew her knees to her chest. She remembered the time when she was in the exact same position, and Jayden had come and comforted her. But now, Brooke didn't know if she wanted Jayden around or not. Or any of the team, because they had dealt with enough of her for a lifetime.

It got harder to breathe, and Brooke just shoved it aside, tried to clear her head. It was just an anxiety attack- these things pass. She had fought through them before. Brooke forced herself to control her breathing somewhat, so she didn't hyperventilate and have a mental breakdown, and it was working. _Not very well_ , but it was somewhat working. And Brooke would take it, as _something_ was better than nothing, after all. She wouldn't cry- it was like when she and Maxx still lived with James. She never allowed herself to show any weakness, as it was her job to be the strong one. _She still needed to be the strong one._ Brooke was a damn power ranger, and power rangers don't have anxiety attacks. That was out of the question- it was a _weakness. And having weaknesses got you killed._ Brooke knew that, and she tried convincing her mind to just turn off, that this was a stupid, pathetic thing that could be dealt with.

"It's okay to cry, Brooke." Jayden's voice snapped Brooke out of her thoughts, and she didn't even need to turn around to know that both he and Antonio were at the doorway. The smells of the forest, smoke, and the ocean filled her nose, and Brooke found them comforting. But it also made her feel guilty- so incredibly _guilty_.

"You two have better things to do. Don't worry about me," Brooke urged, her voice cracking as her shoulders shook. "I can deal with this- I have for a long time, alright? Please don't ruin your nights by dealing with me. I feel guilty enough- _please_." Her voice was barely audible, and she felt tears rolling down her cheeks. Brooke just wiped them away, blinking back more that pricked her eyes.

"Brooke, you're not ruining our night. We're worried about you, and you don't need to feel guilty about that. It's our job as your friends." Antonio argued, his tone caring, and Brooke just buried her head in her knees as her shoulders shook.

Brooke resisted the urge to latch onto the two boys and just _cry,_ but- her mind told her that she couldn't. So, she didn't. "You two have more important jobs. You're both power rangers- you don't have to deal with me. _Please."_ Her voice cracked, and both Antonio and Jayden saw through her defenses.

"You're important to us, Brooke. You don't have to feel guilty, and want us around, don't you?" Jayden pressed, and Brooke said nothing, only raising her head from her knees and nodded.

 _"Please stay."_ Brooke forced out, letting the panic overtake her.

She didn't even know how long she cried for. Brooke just allowed herself to feel things, and everything she tried to force down exploded in a mess of tears and ragged breaths. Now she was finally calming down, her head on Jayden's shoulder, and keeping a tight hold on Antonio's had. Brooke was careful to not scratch him with her claws, and once she was mentally stable enough to will them away, she did and tightened her grip on Antonio's hand. She knew the two couldn't be _solutions_ to her panic attacks and self-doubts, but they helped.

"You two are something else," Brooke joked weakly, sniffling. "I've only met one other person who'll sit through stuff like this. I'm not complaining- it's just strange." She commented, closing her tired eyes.

"Well, we're here now. And you're not getting rid of us anytime soon." Antonio stated, sounding rather proud of himself, and Brooke let out a tired laugh.

"I know, and I appreciate it. Thank you two, so much." Brooke yawned, and she felt Jayden run his hand through her hair, him having a small smile on his face.

"Of course, Brooke. It's the three of us against the world." Jayden murmured, smiling fondly down at Brooke as she started to fall asleep on his shoulder.

Brooke hummed, her lips twitching into a small smile. "I think we'll win against the world. I mean, we've made it this far." She mused, feeling a wave of comfort wash over her as stars twinkled in the sky. She felt better and now was just emotionally drained more than anything.

Brooke knew it was going to be another day of some struggles tomorrow, but tomorrow could wait. She felt her two childhood friends by her sides, and that was enough. They were more than enough- and Brooke hoped they knew how much she cared about them. She would end this war, and do it with them by her side. _She promised it._


	16. humanity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When a nighlok steals Emily's spirit the day before her birthday, Brooke realizes her dreams of being fully human are, in fact, just dreams.

The next couple of days passed rather peacefully for Brooke, and she was grateful for that. She had apologized and told the rest of the team about what her mother had done, and they all responded pretty much the same way Jayden and Antonio did. They told her not to feel guilty, and it did lessen the guilt, to a degree. However, it still remained, and Brooke had a feeling it would last until the war was over- or she was dead. Still, she was dealing with it to the best of her abilities, and Jayden giving her samuraizer back to her helped- as she could work on the cage symbol again. Well, now Brooke was on the _strength_ portion of the cage symbol- the second out of the three symbols that needed to be mastered. She noticed that someone was always checking up on her, Antonio mostly, and Brooke actually didn't mind it.

The gold and silver rangers just chatted as the silver worked on mastering the symbol. The entire team noticed that Brooke was quieter than before, and nobody really blamed her. Still, she was coming around to her normal self again, and while the guilt and sadness remained, it was easier to push aside now. Plus, the team provided good distractions so that the silver ranger wasn't spiraling in her thoughts as much.

Such as now, the rangers had taken on the greatest challenge yet. Tomorrow was Emily's birthday, and the six other rangers were tasked with setting up a surprise party without being caught. Which sounded easy- but _wasn't,_ all things considered. They had to skirt around Emily, and it made Brooke feel _bad_ , for some odd reason, but she knew it was for a good thing. They weren't excluding Emily to be mean, it was all for good things. And the six rangers knew the yellow would be happy with her surprise party- well, they hoped. But, knowing Emily, it was going to be a success.

"I'm sure she'll love this-" Brooke started, walking next to Jayden, but she cut herself off when she heard the faint footfalls of Emily. They were growing closer, and Brooke's eyes flashed as she glanced at Jayden. "We need to hide." She whispered, urgency in her tone, and Jayden nodded.

"Hello?" Emily called out, and Brooke and Jayden shared a look that was worry mixed with slight fear. Grey-gold and blue eyes scanned the room, and Jayden found himself making an _extremely_ rash decision.

God, he was going to be kicking himself for this one later, but the red ranger grabbed the silver by the arm and moved quickly. And that's how Brooke found herself cramped in a small closet with Jayden, the two rangers barely having enough room to stand without making things more awkward then they already were. Jayden's arm was wedged above Brooke's head, her standing in between his legs. Brooke was clutching a pack of candles and multiple packs of balloons to her chest, and heat rose to her face as she thought of the implications about the others finding the two like this. However, it also caused old memories to resurface, and Brooke inwardly grimaced. Still, the closet felt _hot_ , and only added to the heat rushing to the pair's cheeks.

Brooke didn't even know if Jayden _knew_ about the implications, but guessing from the way he was somewhat stiff, he was embarrassed. Not that she blamed him, both rangers were grateful that the closet was dark- as they couldn't see the red blooming on each other's cheeks. It only got worse when Brooke tried to move to peek through the cracked closet door. Her hips brushed against Jayden's leg, and she resisted the urge to scream as her heart pounded in her ears. She was _sure_ Jayden could hear her heartbeat.

"Where is everybody?" Brooke heard Emily wonder, and the silver ranger froze when she heard the yellow's footsteps coming closer to the closet.

Jayden heard it too, and the red and silver rangers both stiffened, a feeling of worry adding onto their embarrassment. If they got caught, Brooke knew _damn well_ the team wouldn't let them live it down- and she would have to come up with a bullshit excuse as to why she was in a closet with Jayden. And the only excuses she could think of were _not good ones._ So, Brooke just squeezed her eyes shut and prayed.

"Did they go out without me?" Emily wondered aloud, and Brooke heard her footsteps retreat towards the direction of the outdoor dojo.

She breathed a quiet sigh of relief, and Jayden tried to swallow past his embarrassment to speak. "C-Clear?" He asked, instantly cringing at the stammering of his voice, and Brooke felt the corners of her mouth twitch as she nodded.

"Yeah, let's go." Brooke urged, and the two stumbled out of the closet, and when they made eye contact, the red on their faces darkened.

Still, it faded somewhat when they reached the door of the room where Emily's birthday party was hidden. As Jayden knocked on the door, Brooke let out a deep breath and regained her composure. The red ranger opened the door, the pink and blue looking like they just saw hell and back. Still, the two let out sighs of relief when it was just Brooke and Jayden, and the pair walked into the room, shutting the door behind them.

"Shoulda seen your faces," Mike snickered, pointing at Mia and Kevin. "You looked like Master Xandred was at the door." He joked, and Kevin let out a small sigh.

"Ha ha," Kevin laughed dryly, and Brooke laughed under her breath, setting the packs of balloons and candles on one of the tables. "We just wanted to make sure Emily didn't find us."

"Coast is clear, Em went outside," Brooke stated, and Mia discreetly pointed to her own cheek and raised her eyebrows. It was silently asking why the silver ranger's cheeks were still dusted red, and she just shook her head at the pink's actions, grey eyes flashing gold.

Jayden's blue eyes flickered to the three rangers, and Brooke found it somewhat cute- the way he held the faintest of smiles on his face. "What about the cake?" He asked, and Mia instantly perked up.

"I have all the ingredients to bake an awesome cake, I just need to bake it without her noticing," Mia answered, and the four other rangers instantly decided against the idea.

"No!" The four blurted in unison, and Brooke took the lead, masking her slight worry with her usual grin.

"That's too risky of a plan," Brooke explained, and the three male rangers nodded, muttering faint words of agreement. Jayden flashed a forced smile at Mia, and Brooke felt the corners of her lips twitch. _Okay, he was cute._ "Antonio already ordered the cake from the bakery, and Emily will sure wonder why you're baking a cake, y'know? It'll blow our cover." Brooke added smoothly, and this time her eyes didn't even flash.

"Oh, okay." Mia replied, sounding a little dejected, but was convinced. It wasn't even necessarily a lie- Antonio had gotten a cake, and it would be ballsy to try to bake a cake on the day before Emily's birthday without her noticing. The four just didn't want the poor girl to get poisoned on her seventeen birthday on top of that.

Once Mia left the room, Mike clapped Brooke on the shoulder. "There's our Brooke! Excellent acting." He praised, and Brooke rolled her eyes, smiling faintly.

"Just saving a life," Brooke joked with a grin, hooking her thumbs on the belt loops of her jeans. However, the happy atmosphere dropped when her samuraizer started beeping. Brooke instantly took the device out of her pocket and flipped it open, bringing up the small map of Panorama. "Speaking of- the plaza." She explained as the gap sensor started blaring, and Jayden instantly called Antonio as the three ran out of the room. The six rangers regrouped in the meeting room, and with a shared nod, they ran off in the direction of the plaza.

* * *

When the morphed rangers reached the plaza, the silver ranger cringed at the number of people lying unconscious on the ground.

"What happened?" Brooke muttered, but then turned her attention when her hearing perked, and she snapped her attention to the nighlok, narrowing her eyes underneath her silver helmet.

The nighlok looked like it was made out of brown twigs weaved together, and scattered about its body was red berries, which had mouths on them. So, it was kind of creepy, and Brooke didn't blame the two civilians that hit the ground in fear, scrambling backwards as the nighlok sauntered up to them.

The blue and silver rangers nodded at each other, Kevin firing off attacks with his Hydro Bow and Brooke unsheathing her Wolf Kunai, spinning the wolf disk and slashing with the weapon. The silver and blue attacks hit the nighlok, the two civilians scrambling to their feet and running away as the nighlok rolled on the ground, smoke rising from its body.

"Snack time is over for you, nighlok!" Jayden taunted as the team lined up in their usual line, Brooke spinning the kunai in her hand from her spot in-between Mike and Jayden.

The nighlok, who picked itself off of the ground, instantly turned to the seven. "The samurai rangers?!" It exclaimed in shock, and Mike and Antonio wasted no time.

With a cry of "you're done", from Antonio, the green and gold rangers ran forward, obviously planning to rush the nighlok. But, the nighlok had other plans, and Brooke felt the warning call die in her throat as the nighlok's eyes flashed a brilliant blue. _"Body Swarm!"_ The nighlok called, and with that call, the nighlok's body turned into a multitude of red balls. The red balls swarmed Mike and Antonio, presumably _biting_ at the green and gold rangers.

"It's like dodgeball with teeth." Mike groaned as he hit the ground, and Brooke didn't have time to process what he had said- or use the protection symbol as the nighlok flew over to the remaining rangers.

The nighlok, which was now in its swarm form, hit and bit the five other rangers, and Brooke felt pain erupt through her body as the nighlok cut her down. Landing next to Jayden, she pushed the pain aside as she watched the nighlok saunter up to Emily, the yellow ranger trying to pick herself up off of the ground. Brooke sheathed her Wolf Kunai and shifted, instantly getting ready to lunge, snarling at the nighlok, but it was too late.

"You'll make a fine dessert!" The nighlok mocked with a happy tone, opening the mouth on its hand.

Emily's cry died in her throat as she demorphed, a yellow ball of energy coming from the girl's mouth, the nighlok "eating" it. Brooke and Mia wasted no time, the pink ranger and the brown wolf spurring to action. As Mia rushed to Emily's side, wolf-Brooke slammed her body into the nighlok, causing it to stumble away from Emily. The brown wolf landed on all four paws in front of Emily, settling into a defensive stance and snarling at the monster, fur bristled. Still, the monster didn't seem to be intimated and only let out a laugh as wolf-Brooke got ready to lunge.

"So, you want to play a game of fetch!" The nighlok declared, and as wolf-Brooke lunged, it went into its swarm form, surrounding the brown wolf.

The force caused Brooke to fly back some and instantly shift back into a human, the silver ranger rolling on the ground a couple of times. Still, she regained her bearings and hopped to her feet quickly, changing out the wolf disk for the moon disk. "What the hell did you do to her?!" Brooke growled, her body tense as she pointed her Wolf Kunai at the nighlok. The rangers usually helped each other get back up, but now wasn't the case. It caused fear to claw at Brooke's heart, but she shoved it down and tried her usual intimidation tactics, maintaining eye contact with the nighlok and raising her chin slightly.

"Mmm mmm, I have to say it, her spirit was delicious!" The nighlok mocked, pointing its blade at Brooke. "And in twenty-four hours, it'll be mine… forever!" The nighlok cackled, and Brooke let out a low growl, getting ready to rush the monster. The rest of the team made noises of shock and disbelief, and nighlok continued. "Of course, if you can defeat me, I'll let all these spirits go! But that's not possible, because I'm going to the netherworld, where no mortal can follow."

"Guys! We have to stop this creep!" Mia urged the team from where she was cradling Emily to her chest, and the five rangers readied themselves into fighting stances.

"All of you enjoy your last day with your friend, because I'm leaving, and I'm never coming back!" The nighlok announced, and Brooke grit her teeth.

"Like hell, we're going to let you do that! There's no way!" Brooke yelled, tightening her grip on her Wolf Kunai. Emily was the brightest out of all of them- and Brooke had the urge to protect her, just like how she did with Maxx.

Mike and Kevin were the first ones to rush forward, the green and blue rangers making the move to attack the nighlok. However, the nighlok just went into its swarm form again, hitting the two rangers repeatedly and knocking them to the ground. The nighlok formed back, getting ready to land a downwards strike on the two, but Antonio was speedy. The gold ranger blocked the nighlok's blade with his barracuda blade, taking a disk out of the belt on his ranger suit. "It's time to knock you out!" Antonio threatened, sliding the disk onto his barracuda blade and shoving the nighlok aside some.

Both Jayden and Brooke saw their chances, the silver and red rangers running forward, Brooke's eyes flashing as she came up with a game plan. When the nighlok swarmed the three childhood friends, the silver ranger spun the moon disk on her Wolf Kunai, the blade lighting up purple. _"Full Moon!"_ Brooke screamed, her voice cracking as she performed a circle motion with her kunai. A large burst of purple energy surrounded the three, successfully hitting the nighlok.

While the attack hit the nighlok, it caused the monster to land in the direction Brooke _didn't_ want it to go. The nighlok hit the ground, rolling a couple of times with smoke rising from its body, and it landed near a large crack in a large concrete pillar. That fact alone caused the silver ranger to curse under her breath, as her weapon wasn't made for long-range like Kevin's was. She could try attacking, but it would be pointless.

"Have a nice day!" The nighlok called once it picked itself off of the ground, and then, in a flash of dark red, it was gone. Brooke let out a growl of frustration, sheathing her Wolf Kunai and turning her gaze to the sunset. It was the only pretty thing about this situation.

"Oh no, poor Emily," Mia breathed out, tightening her hold on Emily some. "The sun's already setting. By this time tomorrow- she might not wake up." The words hung in the air, the six remaining rangers full of worry and fear.

* * *

Brooke stood at the doorway as the rest of the team, sans Antonio because he was working on the claw zord, stood around Emily's bed. Her eyes were almost pure gold, her claws and canines almost fully grown in as she chewed on her bottom lip. Seeing Emily look so _peaceful_ didn't sit right with Brooke. This whole thing didn't sit right with her, and she just willed away her inhumane features and tried to mask her stress. For herself, mostly. It was much easier to shove the emotions down than to deal with them.

"Fifty-four people, including Emily, have had their spirits stolen," Ji started, and the five remaining rangers all tensed some. The team knew if they failed- _fifty-four deaths would be on their hands._ "Official hospital reports say that they're all resting comfortably. But we know better." The older man stated, and the rangers all shared somewhat worried looks.

"I can't believe by tomorrow night, Emily and all of those people could stay asleep forever. We have to defeat that nighlok before that happens!" Kevin seemed to shout the last sentence, and Brooke winced at the sudden increase in volume, subconsciously bringing her hands to her ears.

Mia glanced at Kevin and then at Emily, eyes shining with worry. "But it said it won't leave the netherworld, what can we do?" She wondered, her voice soft and brows knit together.

Brooke jumped in surprise when she felt someone pat her arm gently. The smell of the ocean filled her senses, and she knew it was Antonio without turning around. Still, Brooke spun on her heel, quirking a brow. "What's up?" She asked quietly, her eyes flashing and settling on a grey-gold.

"I need your help with the clawzord," Antonio admitted, somewhat sheepishly, and Brooke felt the corners of her lips twitch.

"Let's go, Goldie. It's better than staying here." Brooke answered, and Antonio nodded. The silver and gold rangers walked out of the med bay, the two rangers silent for the most part.

Brooke enjoyed walking at night, it was far more peaceful than the day. Everything had a quietness to it, and it calmed her nerves some as she walked beside Antonio. Still, it didn't rid her of her fear completely, and Brooke knew that the fear would remain until they got Emily back. _They would._ The silver ranger wasn't going to let the yellow pretty much _die_ on her seventeen birthday. That wasn't an option- it was never an option.

Antonio and Brooke reached a large field, the sound of crickets filling the area as Antonio set down his cooler and sat a couple of feet away from it. Brooke sat next to him, the two sitting in silence for a couple of moments, grey-gold and brown eyes turned to the sky. A full moon cast the silver and gold rangers in a silver glow, illuminating the field the two sat in. The clawzord sat on top of Antonio's cooler, the golden zord chirping at the silver and gold rangers.

"It's funny, it seems like on the worst days the sky's the prettiest." Brooke mused, her voice barely above a whisper. The clawzord chirped in response, and Brooke smiled fondly at the creature.

Antonio leaned back on his hands some, letting out a quiet laugh. "It seems that way, doesn't it?" He commented, and Brooke hummed in response. After a couple of minutes of silence, he spoke again. "I have a plan to get Emily back." The gold ranger murmured, and the silver turned her attention to him, raising her brows.

"Oh? Let's hear it, I'm happy to help," Brooke replied, drawing her knees to her chest. Once Antonio explained his plan, her eyes flashed. "Damn, you were really three steps ahead of the rest of us, huh? I was just planning to kill the thing. Good job, Goldie." She praised, and Antonio felt his face heat up at the praise some, but he ignored it.

"Thanks, Brooke. Do you know the live symbol?" Antonio asked, and Brooke's eyes flashed as she chewed on her bottom lip.

She cycled through the symbol powers she knew, and after a couple of moments, Brooke nodded. "Yeah, took me a bit, but I remember reading about it in the archives." She answered, pulling out her samuraizer and flipping it open, activating the brush portion.

Antonio followed suit, pulling his morpher out of his pocket and opening it. As Brooke started drawing the symbol, he texted it, and in a couple of seconds, the live symbol hung in the air. 住む shone in silver and gold in front of the respective rangers, Brooke and Antonio nodding at each other. _"Symbol Power: Live."_ The two called softly in unison, activating the symbols. The two symbols hit the clawzord, and it let out a series of chirps in response, the silver and gold rangers both letting out sighs. _It was going to be a long night._

Brooke and Antonio worked on the symbol until their heads pounded, signaling that they were both low on symbol power. Well, Brooke kept going for a while after Antonio stopped, as she held more symbol power than the others due to being a shifter. Still, after a couple of hours, the silver and gold rangers both fought back exhaustion, the two sticking their respective devices in their pockets.

"Still better than the damn cage symbol," Brooke joked with a quiet laugh. She had ended up resting her head on Antonio's shoulder, his arm around her shoulders. "At least this symbol doesn't blow up." She mused, and clawzord chirped.

"How's that going, by the way? Every time I see you, you look about ready to scream." Antonio remarked, and Brooke let out a groan of annoyance.

"It _does_ make me want to scream. I know I have to keep enough symbol power in me just in case a battle comes up, so I can't give it my all. That's what's frustrating about it, and it's the fact I'm making little headway," Brooke complained, playing with one of the bracelets on Antonio's wrist. He let her, the gold ranger watching the silver with a small smile. Her touch was soft, fingertips barely brushing his skin, and it was gentle. "And my head keeps telling me to work myself to death, so I don't end up like mom, y'know? But, you and Red would have my head for that, and it's just- agh. It's annoying." She let out a noise of annoyance, and Antonio drew her closer some.

He enjoyed having Brooke this close, and she didn't seem to mind, which made Antonio happy. "If anyone can get it done, it's you. You have my support." He reassured Brooke, who let out a quiet "thanks" in response. The two then sat in comfortable silence for a couple more minutes, Brooke still playing with Antonio's bracelet.

It was a braided fishtail bracelet that was mostly black, with some gold accents. Brooke just enjoyed messing with it. The action was somehow calming, and mixing with the sounds of the forest surrounding the field, a sense of peace washed over her. Antonio seemed to feel it too, as he seemed to release any tension he was holding in his body.

"You can have it if you want," Antonio spoke softly, and Brooke raised her head from his shoulder, furrowing her brows. "Sparkly ranger union, remember? Here." The silver and gold rangers intertwined fingers, and Antonio removed his arm from around Brooke's shoulder to guide the bracelet from his wrist to hers.

"Sparkly ranger union," Brooke repeated in confirmation, letting out a small laugh as Antonio helped her tighten the bracelet on her wrist. "Then here. It's the best thing I have right now," She murmured, taking off her own bracelet, which was a thin leather cuff that was dark grey. "It should fit you."

Antonio watched as Brooke slid the leather cuff off of her own wrist and into his. The two rangers found something strangely domestic about the scene, the silver ranger humming an unfamiliar tune as she readjusted the bracelet on the gold's wrist. "There we go, it's now _officially_ the sparkly ranger union," Brooke stated, sounding rather proud of herself as she finished adjusting the bracelet.

"It took us seven years to get friendship bracelets." Antonio thought aloud, glancing down at the leather cuff on his wrist than at Brooke, who puffed out her cheeks slightly.

"Better late than never," Brooke fired back, grinning. "Tonight didn't go as bad as I thought it would. Thanks, Goldie. I can also help with the clawzord if you need it." She offered, and Antonio smiled as the clawzord chirped.

"I've got it from here, but thanks, Brooke," Antonio thanked, rising to his feet. He stuck out a hand, and she took it, the gold ranger helping the silver to her feet. "We should probably head back, it's surprising Jay hasn't called one of us." He remarked, and Brooke picked up the clawzord, holding it in her palms.

Brooke laughed faintly as the golden zord chirped, then turning her attention to the woods. "Yeah, he might just be busy- Goldie, look," She blurted, setting down the clawzord onto Antonio's cooler and pointing towards the woods. "I've never seen deer this close before. It's a family." Brooke breathed, pointing in the direction of three deer with a happy smile on her face. The three stood in close proximity to each other, the stag and the doe seemingly keeping an eye on the fawn.

Antonio smiled at Brooke's expression, it reminded him of when they were kids. It was an expression he found cute, and he turned his attention to the family of deer. The two watched as the three deer bounded into the woods, then started the walk back to the Shiba House. The clawzord was now safely in Antonio's cooler with the octozord, and Brooke had taken the wolf zord out of her pocket. The mechanical wolf was now flying in between the gold and silver rangers as they walked, the moon shining bright overhead.

When the pair reached the Shiba House, they weren't surprised to see Jayden still awake, him sitting in the meeting room with multiple archives surrounding him. He raised his head from one of the archives at the sounds of Antonio's footsteps and felt a sense of jealousy fill his gut when he saw Brooke standing next to the gold ranger. Still, Jayden pushed it aside as he set down the archive and let out a heavy sigh, running his hand through his hair. This was the part where he hated leading the team- as he knew _someone_ was going to do something rash. And he had to prevent that from happening to the best of his abilities.

"Christ, Red. I can feel your stress from here," Brooke remarked, concern present in her expression. "What's up?" She asked, and Jayden let out another sigh.

Part of him wanted to say it was nothing- but Jayden knew both of his childhood friends. They would easily see through that lie. "Just… everything right now," He admitted, pinching the bridge of his nose. A tension headache had made itself prominent, the back of his head throbbing. "What about you two? You both were out for a bit." Jayden changed the subject, and Brooke and Antonio sat down so that the silver ranger was in the middle of the gold and the red.

"Brooke was helping me with the clawzord some," Antonio replied, and Brooke nodded, glancing down at some of the archives Jayden was reading.

One caught her eye, and Brooke's eyes flashed. "Red, do you know Latin? Or do you just hate yourself that much?" She questioned, raising a brow at Jayden. "You could've called, y'know. I'm decent at translation."

"I know- I just didn't know where you two were and I assumed you both were busy," Jayden defended himself, not admitting to the fact that he was sitting in his own jealousy. "You don't have to now, Brooke. It's late, you should get some rest." He advised, and Brooke pursed her lips and raised her eyebrows.

" _You_ should be taking your own advice," Brooke retorted, standing up from her seat. "I can help you, Red. I'm gonna get changed and grab my notebook, we can work from there." She left the room before Jayden could respond, silently retreating towards her room.

Jayden shot a look with Antonio, who laughed quietly. "She's not going to listen to you, you know that. But Brooke's right, you should take your own advice." Antonio remarked, and Jayden let out a faint groan of frustration.

"I know I should, but we all know that somebody's going to do something rash- and I'll have to be damage control," Jayden complained, rubbing his tired eyes. His body throbbed from the attacks that the nighlok hit him with, and the headache made him want to just give up- but he _couldn't._ Jayden knew he never really had a choice in the matter.

"I can't disagree with you on the others doing _something,_ but, it's going to work out. Don't stress yourself out so much. Brooke and I have your back, and you know that, so things will work out." Antonio reassured Jayden, who let out a faint, stress-filled laugh.

"You sound like Brooke. She always tells me the same thing." Jayden mused, stifling a yawn with his hand.

"Because what she says is _true,"_ Antonio replied, smiling faintly. "I'm going to head to bed, 'night, Jayden." He stated, patting Jayden on the shoulder comfortingly and rising from his seat.

"Goodnight, Antonio," Jayden called as Antonio left the meeting room, the gold ranger raising his hand in farewell. After he left, Jayden glanced down at the archives on the coffee table and resisted the urge to scream. _It was going to be a long night._

After a couple of minutes, Brooke returned, taking her usual seat next to Jayden and crossing her legs underneath her. "I've always wanted to translate the nighlok stuff anyways- never got around to it." She thought aloud, opening her notebook and flipping to a new section, labeling it _"NIGHLOK"._

"Brooke, you don't have to do this. I'm fine." Jayden argued, and Brooke raised a brow as she pulled the archive closer to her.

"You don't get a say, Red. I'm here to help, and I'm happy that I'm useful. Plus, I probably need the distraction, anyways," Brooke defended, shaking her head slightly. "This stuff usually will bore me to sleep- I'm surprised you're not passed out yet." She joked, not raising her head from the archive as she started to translate.

"Me too," Jayden admitted with a faint laugh, stifling another yawn with his hand. Picking up the archive he was reading, Jayden let out a quiet sigh. Time to get to work.

About an hour passed, and both the red and silver rangers were struggling to keep their eyes open, exhaustion overcoming the two rangers. Brooke ended up leaning on Jayden as she translated, him welcoming it as he let out a yawn. The words had started to blur together, and Brooke found herself reading the same paragraph for the third time as she didn't retain any information. She just tried to keep herself awake, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, lead coating the side of her hand. After a couple of more minutes of struggling to read the archive, Brooke was surprised to feel Jayden's arms wrapping around her waist.

"Heya, Red. Everything okay?" Brooke greeted, sitting up some and uncrossing her legs.

Jayden nodded, knowing damn well the exhaustion was making him exceptionally _clingy_ , but Brooke didn't seem to mind. In fact, she set her pencil down next to her, stretching and shaking the soreness out of her muscles. "You can use my shoulder as a pillow if you want." Brooke offered and was pleasantly surprised when Jayden acted rather quickly. His light brown hair tickled Brooke's face, and she laughed quietly, wrapping her arm around his shoulders.

It was nice, a sense of comfort that both of them were grateful for. Brooke hummed a soft tune quietly, closing her tired eyes. Jayden had quickly fallen asleep, and she cracked open a grey eye to glance at him, taking in the peace on his expression. It was the first time she's ever seen him look so stress-free, and Brooke broke into a smile laced with exhaustion. Something about the fact that Jayden looking so peaceful while sleeping on her shoulder made Brooke's heart swell. Closing her eyes again, something flashed through her mind.

The fact she was made into a shifter was so that she could be the ideal soldier. Brooke had come to that realization rather quickly and knew that she was probably the most _fucked_ soldier they could've made. However, she assumed that the Shiba Clan didn't plan for their ideal soldier to have the red ranger sleeping on her shoulder. The _red ranger,_ master of war, and the one who was supposed to save the day, leading his team valiantly. But now, the red ranger was sleeping on the silver's shoulder, and something about that made her extremely happy. Despite the battles they had to fight, the roles that they had to fulfill, she could still be somewhat _normal._ Brooke couldn't be human, she knew that was out of the question, but being with Jayden in moments like these made her feel _human._ Even if it was only for a series of hours.

Brooke knew after this moment of peace ended- she'll be back to being a soldier. She'll be "the silver ranger" again, but right now, she was _Brooke._ Brooke Wolfe who had Jayden Shiba sleeping on her shoulder- and Brooke enjoyed that. She planned to hold onto this feeling for as long as she could- because it was fleeting. The stress will return, the battles will need to be won, but _that could wait._ Right now, she was happy with herself, which was a feeling she hasn't felt in a long time.

* * *

The next morning passed like any other. Brooke and Jayden had woken up before the others did, and they rubbed the sleep out of their eyes and both settled into their routines. It was strangely comforting- a sense of stability, as everything was out of the rangers' control for the moment.

Brooke was sitting with Emily, humming a quiet tune when the girl stirred. "Guys! Em's awake!" She called, loud enough for most of the team to hear- or so she hoped. Brooke didn't want to overwhelm Emily as soon as she had woken up, especially because of her situation as well.

Brooke helped Emily sit up as the team ran in, and the yellow ranger instantly had an expression of guilt on her face. "Sorry guys, I let it get me." She apologized, and Brooke frowned, her eyes flashing.

"Shit happens, Em. It'll work out, don't worry about it." Brooke reassured Emily, handing the younger girl a cup of water. Brooke knew it was the "big sister complex" coming out once again, and she willed away her claws and canines.

Still, Emily saw Brooke's inhumane features before they disappeared. "Thanks for putting on the brave face for me- but I know I'm not okay. I feel… empty." She muttered, sounding weak and exhausted.

"We'll find a way- we'll figure it out," Mia reassured Emily, but the uncertainty and worry were clear in her voice.

"We're not going to let you down. We'll save you, I promise." Jayden stated, his voice soft. And Brooke knew it was the worst time for feeling _jealous- God, that was pathetic._ So, she just shoved it aside along with her general guilt for feeling that way.

So, Brooke just did what she did best, hiding her emotions with a small smile. However, that smile quickly fell as Emily fell back asleep, and the silver ranger let go of the yellow's hand, making sure not to prick her with her claws as they grew in fully. This time she _couldn't_ will them away, and the stress in the room almost became unbearable.

"Emily!" Mike's fear and stress soon got replaced with anger, and before the team could say anything, he was sprinting out of the room.

Brooke was the last one to leave Emily's side, pushing the girl's blonde curls out of her face with a shaky clawed hand. She rose from her seat quickly, surprised to find Jayden waiting at the doorway. "He's probably going to go back to the plaza." Brooke declared, her voice monotone as she and Jayden sprinted down the halls.

"Yeah, I know. Do you know any shortcuts?" Jayden asked as they burst through the main doors, gravel crunching underneath the two rangers' feet as they sprinted down the path.

Brooke shook her head. "No, just try to keep up." She advised, _trying_ to joke, but it fell short as she shifted. The brown wolf bounding down the streets of Panorama, the red ranger shadowing her.

* * *

Brooke shifted back as she heard Mike yelling before she could see him, his voice full of desperation. Not breaking her stride, her military boots made no sounds on the pavement, even when she skidded to a stop. Her worry turned into general annoyance, and Brooke let out a low growl as she glared at Deker, Jayden soon at her side. She had honestly forgotten about him somewhat, and now Brooke had the strong urge to break the half-humans nose as a pure, unkindled fury filled her body.

"It seems like I have bad timing," Deker started, and Jayden grabbed Brooke's wrist before she could lunge at him. "I was hoping we could duel, but obviously you two are preoccupied."

"If you know that, then go away. We don't have time for your games, stranger." Jayden spat, letting go of Brooke's wrist. While he walked over to the team, she stayed rooted in her spot, her shoulders shaking with anger.

Brooke knew if she didn't get her emotions in check, she would lose it, meaning that her hold on humanity would slip. So, she curled her hands into fists, hoping the pain from her claws digging into her palms would ground her somewhat. It wasn't deep enough to draw blood, Brooke knew she would have to get in _some sort_ of fight in the next couple of minutes and didn't want to injure herself that badly.

"There is one way for humans like you to enter the netherworld," Deker stated, and Brooke did _not_ like the hope that flickered across Mike's face. "Simply trade your human existence to become a nighlok. Willingly give yourself over to them and pass through the gap." He made it sound so _easy,_ and the team heard the low growl coming from Brooke's throat as her hands twitched. Her eyes were ablaze with fury, shining a much brighter gold than the team had ever seen before.

"Wait, are you saying you made that choice?" Jayden demanded, and Deker remained nonchalant.

"I don't know how it happened to me, but I'm living proof that it can be done," Deker answered, and in a flash of purple flames, he had turned into his nighlok form. The team was instantly on alert, settling into fighting stances, well, except Brooke. She just heard her bones crack as her vision tinted red- the fight or flight kicking in. "I'd welcome you to it. You can then fight in ways no other human can- it would make our impending duel more glorious." The skeletal nighlok urged, and then he was gone.

Brooke heard nothing but ringing in her ears for a moment as she tried to get her emotions under control. However, that didn't happen, as Jayden's voice cut through her thoughts.

"No, we're a team- we'll all go," Jayden stated, and Brooke flipped open her samuraizer.

Before the team could walk up to the crack, a string of kanji floated in front of the four rangers in silver. It was バリア- the symbol for barrier, and four pairs of eyes snapped to the silver ranger, who held her samuraizer tightly in a clawed fist.

"Brooke-" Mike started, his voice full of anger, but Brooke cut him off with a glare, her lips curled around her fully bared canines in a sinister grin.

Boots made no sound on the pavement as Brooke walked so that she was standing in front of the four rangers, and so the barrier was in-between her and the others. "You are all _so much_ stupider than I thought," She sneered, her lips curling around her canines. "Let the half-human give you a little lesson about humanity, huh? It's not something that should be thrown around lightly- as there's more cons than pros, in actuality. But I suppose you all don't know the fine print, am I right?" She asked, her tone incredibly mocking. Her entire expression was _feral,_ and Jayden was slightly concerned.

"Brooke- you don't understand-" Mike started, but Brooke's bark of laughter cut him off.

"Oh? I don't? Then what about the thirteen years I've lived as a shifter- five of those where I have come to notice every single thing that sets me apart from everyone else. Did you know I'm technically walking around with a broken ankle? Have been doing so for a year- because I can't go to the doctor, because I'm not human. There are so many _fucking_ things you lose when you give up your humanity, you all should know that hiding your true self is exhausting. Plus, look at Deker! Do you really want to live _that life?_ Tell me, because I'll certainly let you four dumbasses run to a life full of misery- if the transformation doesn't kill you," Brooke mocked, and the four rangers just sat in stunned silence for a moment. "And if it's _for Emily,_ think about what she would want. Don't make rash decisions on her behalf- you guys really are pathetic by only jumping to the easiest solution. And don't say you're not- because that's exactly what you're doing."

"Brooke, this isn't you!" Mia blurted, and Brooke raised an eyebrow.

"Y'know, you're right. This isn't me, and I'll snap back to my senses in a bit and have no recollection of this," Brooke agreed, snickering as she threw her samuraizer in the air and caught it, pointing it at the four rangers. " _This_ is losing your grip on humanity, sweetheart. The amount of mental strength I'm using to not go extremely feral and accidentally attack you all? I frankly don't believe you all have that. It'll be a bloodbath, and you'll live with the blood on your hands. Tell me, is that a life you want to live? The sense of normalcy we've all yearned for, it would be out of reach. _Extremely so._ " Her eyes shone brighter, and her lips curled into a sneer.

"Jayden- can you do something?" Kevin whispered to Jayden, and obviously Brooke heard it, as a sinister grin grew on her lips.

Jayden pushed back the worry he felt, raising his hands to signal that he wasn't a threat. "Brooke- snap out of it, okay? It's okay." He reassured Brooke, and he came to the realization that the barrier was probably for _her_.

"I can't! Don't you understand- this is what being a half-human is? I'm damn sure Deker can only control his powers so well is due to the fact he's had it for centuries! _This_ is what you live with until you fucking drop dead!" Brooke yelled, her voice cracking, and brown and white fur sprouted on her hands. Something about it filled her with more rage, but the one shred of humanity Brooke had left told her to reel it in. So, she _tried._ She sucked in a sharp breath, and the fur disappeared, and if on cue, Antonio ran up.

The team had never been more glad, and the silver barrier fizzled out and disappeared. "Mentor told me you all were here," Antonio greeted. "I think I have a way to draw the nighlok through that gap." He announced, and hope flickered on the rangers' faces.

Well, sans Brooke, as she just kept her emotions under wraps to the best of her abilities. She knew that once she got a level head on her shoulders, she wouldn't remember this. And that probably wouldn't be until after the battle. Which wasn't _good,_ but at least she wasn't attacking the team. There could always be worse.

"For real?" Mike blurted in disbelief, and Antonio nodded. "How?" He wondered, and four of the five rangers knit their brows.

"It'll take a lot of symbol power, and," Antonio ran over his cooler, flipping open the lid to one of the compartments. "The clawzord." The clawzord instantly emerged out of the container, chirping- and Brooke felt something other than unbridled fury. It was a spark of happiness, as the noises the golden zord made were something she found cute.

"You ready to do this, Goldie?" Brooke spoke around her canines, grinning, and she sounded somewhat normal, much to the four rangers' relief.

Antonio beamed, nodding at Brooke. "Just need your help with the activation symbol." He announced, and Brooke rooted her booted feet onto the ground and drew the activation symbol.

活性化 shone brightly in silver, and Brooke grinned. Oh, she had a personal vendetta against this nighlok- and would love nothing more to see it fall. _"Activation!"_ She called, activating the symbol, and _it worked._

As the clawzord grew in size, Brooke and Antonio shared a congratulatory high-five, Brooke's eyes unwavering from bright gold. The nighlok flew out of the crack, with screams of protest, and instantly hit the clawzord. The zord- which was now in megamode, hit the monster back with its large claw, which sent the nighlok hurtling to the ground.

"What's going on?!" The nighlok exclaimed in shock, and the clawzord chirped, raising its front legs some. "What is _that_?" The monster demanded, and Brooke snickered.

The team had formed their usual line, but this time, Brooke was in the middle of Jayden and Antonio. Both of her childhood friends noticed that she radiated a menacing aura, and Antonio raised his eyebrows at Jayden. He mouthed "later", in response, and Antonio nodded, turning his attention back to the nighlok.

"That's my buddy clawzord, and he's new in town!" Antonio exclaimed, sounding rather proud of himself as he stepped forward slightly. "My method of getting you out of the netherworld was simple- I marked you with the same symbol I've been working with to program the clawzord. And after I finished programming the clawzord, I just needed the silver rangers' activation symbol!" He declared, and Brooke stepped forward, her grin growing wider.

"Thanks to a symbol from a dear old dead relative of mine, plus Goldie's programming, the clawzord is back in business!" Brooke announced with a flourish. "And that drew you out of the netherworld and to this wonderful meeting!" She snickered, pointing her samuraizer at the nighlok.

Meanwhile, Mike furrowed his brows. "What's with the silver and gold ranger secret club?" He wondered aloud, and the three other rangers shrugged.

"This is outrageous! I refuse to believe you can beat me like this!" The nighlok exclaimed, and the team all tensed, mentally preparing themselves for the battle that was about to commence.

"Shut your mouths!" Mike spat, green eyes shining with fresh anger. "You're gonna pay for what you did to Emily!" He threatened, and the team, sans the silver, red, and gold rangers, all added their own confident lines.

"Enough talk," Jayden stated, pulling out his samuraizer.

"It's time for the final act!" Brooke declared, venom dripping from her words. She flipped open her samuraizer and activated the brush portion, the team following suit.

The nighlok sent a large blast towards the seven rangers, who all morphed quickly. The gold ranger and a brown wolf ran out of the explosion, wolf-Brooke lunging at the nighlok with a vicious snarl. Antonio followed up with a couple of slashes from his barracuda blade, while the nighlok failed to go into its swarm form.

"Get with the program! You've been marked!" Antonio called to the fallen nighlok, and Brooke shifted back, standing next to him and drawing her Wolf Kunai.

The adrenaline from the battle was not helping Brooke get a level head on her shoulders, and black spots decorated the girl's vision. The next couple of moments passed in a blur, and the silver ranger was surprised to find herself next to the red- as she had no recollection of moving. That wasn't good. Still, Brooke just tried to recollect her bearings as the nighlok was sent hurtling towards her and Jayden. Killing the thing was going to be _fun._

"Let's end this, Red!" Brooke declared, her voice sounding more like a growl than anything. _"Wolf Kunai!"_

Jayden was _worried_ , but he pushed it aside as he followed up Brooke's attack with his own. _"Fire Smasher!"_ He yelled, and the two attacks caused the nighlok to explode.

* * *

Brooke snapped back to her senses, watching as yellow orbs- _spirits_ , flew from the defeated nighloks body. She instantly demorphed, looking down at her hands. They weren't bloody- so that was good at least. She had no recollection of how she ended up watching as the nighlok was defeated, all she remembered was seeing Deker. That… was incredibly worrying.

Grey eyes met blue, Brooke's eyes shining with fresh guilt and concern. "What happened? I can't remember anything." She muttered, shoving her hands into the pockets of Casper's leather jacket, to hide the fact they were shaking.

Before Jayden could answer, Mia's eyes fell on Brooke. "Brooke! I'm glad you're okay!" The pink ranger stated, running over to the silver, who knit her brows.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Brooke wondered, chewing on her bottom lip as her eyes flashed. "Everything's okay, right?" She asked, and the look of _sympathy_ in the team's eyes caused a fresh panic to arise.

"You, uh, kinda snapped earlier," Mike explained, and Brooke's eyes widened, landing on a grey-gold.

"Shit," Brooke ran a clawed hand over her face. "I didn't attack any of you guys, right?" The fear was present in her voice, and she scanned the six other rangers. They seemed fine, but she had to be sure.

Jayden shook his head. "You were just angry, but you put a barrier between yourself and us." He answered, and Brooke felt a small amount of relief.

"What happened to you? Do you know?" Kevin questioned Brooke, who nodded faintly and tapped the toe of her boot on the ground.

"I call it "wolfing out", I dunno if there's an actual term for it, but," Brooke sucked in a sharp breath. "Long story short- the part of my brain that controls my emotions also controls my shifting. When I feel _extreme emotions_ , anger, for example- I lose the ability to have rational thoughts. Which is somewhat normal, because humans make rash decisions based on emotions. However, when it happens to me, I lose my thoughts entirely. I pretty much lose my humanity, and that could lead me to attack any of you guys, as it's just the mind of a _predator._ In those moments- I'm not Brooke, I'm just-" _A monster._ "A wolf," She explained, guilt filling her expression. "I'm so sorry you guys had to experience that- I'm working on trying to prevent it from happening, but-"

Mia placing a gentle hand on Brooke's arm cut off her nervous rambling. "Hey, it's okay. You can't control it, and everyone's safe. It just caught us off guard." She reassured Brooke, who looked unconvinced.

Still, Brooke nodded. "Right. Yeah, you're right." There were so many things _wrong_ with that statement because she could see the small amount of fear in the rangers' eyes. And that made her want to burst into tears. _She couldn't be human_ , humanity was something Brooke knew she could never fully have. She was going to be a _wolf_ , a _predator_ until she died. _The ideal soldier._

Brooke was pleasantly surprised to see Jayden and Antonio waiting for her. The silver ranger jogged over to the red and the gold, trying to force a grin. The two instantly saw right through it, as they stuck by their childhood friend's side, her mouth set into a thin line and her face expressionless.

"I saw the fear in your eyes. I understand why you'd be scared- you guys don't have to fake it for me," Brooke muttered, keeping her gaze straight ahead. She knew in a couple of minutes that she would have to pretend that she didn't hate herself. "It's not the first time I've scared someone because of my "gift". Probably not the last." She added bitterly, her eyes flashing.

"We're not scared _of you_ , we're scared for you, Brooke," Jayden stated, and Brooke let out a heavy sigh.

"Don't be scared for me- look, I'm fine. Shit happens, it's okay. Just… drop it, alright? I don't need another bitter reminder that I'm not human." Brooke urged, and before the two could say anything, she was already walking through the front doors of the Shiba House.

* * *

Brooke could easily pretend that she was fine. In fact, she even started to convince herself she was fine. She and Mia had been tasked with keeping Emily busy as the four others worked on finishing the preparations for the surprise party. Night had fallen, and Brooke and Mia each grabbed one of Emily's hands, guiding her to the area where her surprise party was located.

Emily was more confused than anything, the yellow ranger looking at the silver and pink with knit brows. "Mia, Brooke, I'm fine now!" She pointed out, and Brooke shook her head with a small, genuine smile.

"Well, you're about to get even better!" Brooke stated, enthusiasm clear in her tone, and Emily looked even _more_ confused, and she looked at Mia, who smiled and nodded.

The two girls pulled Emily into the main room of the Shiba House. Her look of confusion instantly became a look of happiness, blue eyes shining with joy as she inspected the room. "What is all this?" She wondered aloud, looking at Brooke and Mia, and the two girls only smiled.

"Surprise!" The four male rangers shouted, Mike blowing into a noisemaker of some sort, and Emily was instantly taken aback.

Emily was obviously too happy to speak, as she just had a wide smile on her face. She had gotten a card from her sister, and now, Brooke had covered her eyes with her hand, guiding her to her seat.

"And a birthday's nothing…" Brooke trailed, breaking into a wide grin. "Without a cake!" She exclaimed, removing her hand from Emily's eyes.

The cake read "happy birthday Emily and clawzord" on it, and Brooke snorted, quirking a brow at Antonio, who grinned.

"You guys are the best!" Emily declared with a wide smile, and Mia shook her head.

"You're the best, Em." Mia retorted, and the four boys noticed how the silver and pink rangers stuck close to the yellow, a protective aura coming from the two older girls.

"Today, victory really is ours," Jayden stated, and Brooke playfully rolled her eyes at him. Jayden responded with a huff of false annoyance, and Brooke stuck her tongue out at him somewhat, revealing a small tongue piercing that Jayden didn't know she had.

Mia, noticing the red and silver rangers' silent teasings at each other, smiled faintly. "Who wants cake?" She asked, brandishing a large knife.

Emily's expression of joy turned into one of slight worry as she looked at the yellow cake. "Oh… uh, you baked me a cake?" She asked Mia, who instantly looked dejected.

"No, we got this from the bakery, sorry," Mia answered, and Emily shook her head.

"No, it's okay! You guys were busy after all!" Emily stated, sounding relieved, and her happy smile was back on her face quickly.

Brooke moved to stand beside Jayden, watching Emily with a small smile. She had never had a birthday party- or at least that she could _remember._ She didn't even know her own birthday, either, so she just celebrated it on New Years'.

Jayden nudged Brooke's shoulder with his own. "You seem happy." He pointed out with a small smile, and Brooke returned the smile with her own.

"I'm doing better, yeah, sorry for getting snappy, it's just been a long day." Brooke apologized, and Jayden shook his head.

"Don't apologize, it's okay, I'm here for you," Jayden reassured Brooke, who opened her mouth to respond, but was cut off by Emily.

"Brooke! You have to teach me how to dance!" Emily urged, and Brooke quirked a brow, grinning.

"Right now?" Brooke asked, and when Emily nodded enthusiastically, she shared a look with Jayden, who smiled faintly. "Alright, sunshine. Let's dance." She stated, holding out a hand for Emily to take.

Emily took Brooke's hand, and the silver ranger showed the yellow the basics of how she danced, happy smiles on both of their faces. Something about it made Brooke release the stress she was holding in her body as she twirled Emily around, the younger girl laughing. Soon, she found herself laughing along.


	17. rumors of my demise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Fuck the Tengen Gate all my homies hate the Tengen Gate" -Brooke Wolfe, upon getting poisoned.   
> Brooke's working herself to death, and Jayden' stuffing down his feelings. So everything is relatively normal, until you throw poison in the mix.

The team stared at the giant moogers that were wreaking havoc on Panorama, annoyance radiating off the seven rangers. "Five, six, no, seven! At once?" Antonio counted the giant monsters, the sounds of the buildings crashing to the ground almost drowning out the gold ranger.

It made Brooke wonder how the city was even standing- because stuff like this happens on a daily basis. There was always a nighlok that was accompanied by destruction, and there's no way the city can just _ignore it._ Shaking those thoughts out of her head, the silver ranger narrowed her grey eyes underneath her helmet. Seven giant moogers were easy to deal with, in actuality. It was better than a nighlok.

"Look, the Sanzu River is seeping through!" Emily blurted, pointing to a crack in the pavement. The dark red water was emerging from it, the pavement sizzling when the Sanzu water made contact with it.

"Forbidden Kool-Aid," Brooke muttered, her eyes flashing underneath her helmet as she glanced at the Sanzu water and then Jayden.

The red ranger seemingly had gone rigid, and Jayden grit his teeth underneath his helmet. Just _seeing_ the Sanzu River water gave him a tension headache and the sounds of the buildings crashing made it worse. His head throbbed, but Jayden just tried to push it aside as he pulled out his lion zord. "Let's go!" He commanded, and the seven rangers went into megamode power.

As Brooke waited for the original five to form the battlewing megazord, she let Jayden take the tiger disk, she was surprised to hear Antonio through the comms. "Hey, Brooke! I think you can combine your wolf zord with the clawzord." He offered, and Brooke quirked a brow.

"Alright, Goldie. Let's try," Brooke responded, taking her samuraizer out of the pouch on the belt of her megamode suit. _"Zords Combine!"_ She called, drawing the combination symbol and activating it. In a flash of silver, the silver ranger was standing next to the gold, her folding up her megablade and sticking it into the control panel.

 _"Wolf Armor Claw Megazord! We are united!"_ Brooke and Antonio called in unison, high-fiving each other and then going to work. The battlewing and wolf armor megazords stood side to side as multiple giant moogers swarmed the two robots, who went into fighting stances.

"Woah, is this a mooger family reunion?" Antonio joked, and Brooke snickered at Jayden's disappointed sigh.

"Antonio, focus!" Jayden commanded, and Brooke and Antonio shared teasing looks underneath their helmets.

Brooke knew she could probably add on a witty comment and make things worse, but Jayden _did_ sound stressed. So, she let him be. For now, of course, as teasing Jayden was a hobby for Brooke, she just didn't do it when he was even _more_ disgruntled. She didn't want to make him angry, after all. "Let's give 'em hell!" Brooke urged, and on her call, the battlewing and wolf armor megazords ran in different directions.

The two robots were cutting down giant moogers with ease, and Brooke enjoyed having the familiarity of controlling her wolf zord. The wolf zord had somehow become a claymore, the head of the zord becoming a helmet, the silver and black contrasting the mostly gold zord. The battlewing was fun, as Brooke enjoyed flying through the air, but cutting down moogers was more satisfying. And Antonio was _funny_ during battle, the silver and gold rangers having a quiet conversation that the others couldn't hear through the comms.

Giant moogers appeared, and Mike let out a groan that Brooke snickered at. "Aw man, the flying ones freak me out!" The green ranger complained, and the red pushed his folded megablade forward.

"We have a solution," Jayden reassured Mike as the battlewing megazord soared into the sky. "It's time for these flyboys to get their wings clipped!" He challenged, and Brooke felt the corners of her lips twitch.

The wolf armor megazord swung the claymore around as explosions happened overheard, Brooke and Antonio nodding at each other. "Let's end this!" Brooke commanded, taking her megablade out of the control panel and unfolding it.

Antonio did the same, and the blades of their megablades lit up silver and gold respectively, the two rangers grinning under their helmets. Brooke spun the megablade in her hand once, her and Antonio both slashing diagonally. _"Wolf Claymore: Finishing Swing!"_ The silver and gold rangers yelled in unison, and the wolf armor megazord followed the two rangers' movements.

The claymore lit up a mix of gold and silver, and the megazord slashed diagonally. The attack mixed with the battlewing megazord's final strike, the two attacks hitting the moogers and successfully destroying them. The cockpit of the battlewing megazord went up in cheers, Antonio and Brooke lowering their megablades and high-fiving each other.

"Our team is as good as gold!" Antonio cheered, wrapping his arm around Brooke's shoulders playfully.

Brooke laughed and let him, mouthing along to Jayden's final line. _"Samurai Rangers: Victory is Ours."_ She mouthed, and with that, the battle ended. It was one Brooke actually _enjoyed._

Once on the ground and demorphed, Brooke playfully punched Antonio in the shoulder, grinning. "Thanks for letting me combine with you, Goldie. We're a good team." She thanked, and Antonio nodded, breaking into a happy smile.

"Of course, Brooke. You're nice to have around." Antonio replied, and Brooke smiled genuinely, the gold and silver rangers walking up to the red.

Jayden seemed to have a faint scowl on his face, and Brooke raised an eyebrow at him. He just shook his head- shoving the irrational jealousy aside. He didn't even know _why_ he was jealous, it was like they were back to being ten, when the nighlok were just imaginary. "Good job, you two." Jayden praised, and both Brooke and Antonio smiled.

Despite the jealousy and teenage hormones, Jayden was happy to have his two childhood friends back. They were a sense of happiness in the midst of the stress, and Jayden could deal with some jealousy. Even if he felt a certain pang in his heart as Antonio slung his arm around Brooke's shoulders, the silver ranger laughing at a joke the gold made. But, he could deal with it. _Possibly?_ Jayden had never dealt with jealousy like this before, and he didn't like it. It was almost like it hurt his pride- which it _didn't,_ but it sure as hell felt like it.

Still, it was fine. It could be dealt with, and Jayden found himself smiling when his two childhood friends waved him over. Despite things being far more complicated now, it was still the three of them, just seventeen instead of ten.

* * *

Once the team, sans Antonio because he had some other things to do, reached the Shiba House, the happy mood instantly dropped. It was replaced with one of annoyance, slight worry, and stress, and Brooke could _feel_ it. She didn't know if it was due to her wolf senses in a way, but it tacked up, and soon she felt the stress of five samurai rangers. And that wasn't an ideal situation- because being a samurai ranger wasn't a walk in the park.

Jayden's stress level was the highest, and Brooke didn't blame him. He had a lot of weight on his shoulders- and Brooke couldn't exactly have a one-on-one talk with him currently, so she just tried silent motions. Sitting next to him, she just flashed him a comforting smile. Jayden responded by the corners of his lips twitching upwards, and Brooke felt his thumb running over her knuckles in a comforting sort of manner. It was nice- he was always warm, and it was a comforting warmth, like sitting by a fire. Which made sense, given he was the ranger of fire, but _still_. Brooke enjoyed it.

Then, the meeting began. Jayden and Brooke went back to keeping their façade of soldiers, small smiles falling, and Brooke placing her hands in her lap.

"I don't know what to do," Mia complained, annoyance laced in her tone. "We fought so hard, but the Sanzu River keeps seeping into our world." She added, taking her seat.

"Can't believe this is happening," Mike muttered, shaking his head in disbelief slightly.

"What else can we do? We've beaten the nighlok every time." Emily wondered, and Jayden nodded slightly to Brooke, noticing that she wanted to say something.

"It's not about winning or losing. It's a game of resistance- of _determination._ We just have to last longer than they do," Brooke stated, willing away her inhumane features with a small sigh. "It's just being stubborn at this point- we need to keep fighting." She didn't plan on dying anytime soon, she wouldn't let the team down. The cage symbol was starting to get more and more taxing- but Brooke didn't show it. She just pushed the headache that was forming due to a lack of symbol power aside and steeled her resolve. _She wouldn't be like her mother._

Kevin let out a heavy sigh, leaning forward with his hands intertwined. "Brooke's right, we can't give up, under any circumstances." He concluded, and Brooke perked when she heard Ji's footsteps.

"I'm glad to hear that," Ji greeted the six rangers, walking into the meeting room. "Because I may have found something that could help us." He placed an archive on the table, and Brooke's eyes flashed as she peered at the page with furrowed brows.

Drawn in the archive was a black box, with the Wolfe and Shiba family crests on it, all of the main animals the zords represented surrounding it. Even a wolf and Brooke's eyes landed on a grey-gold as she inspected the picture. Whatever it was- it seemed familiar. _Could her mom have done something?_

Jayden seemed to be going into one of his "red ranger crises", as the stress radiating off of him increased. "The black box? Ji, we can't." He stated, looking at his mentor in disbelief.

"What is it?" Emily asked, leaning forward some so she could view the page better.

"A magic talisman, created by the first red and silver rangers," Ji answered, and Brooke and Jayden shared a look. The red and silver rangers' fates had always been intertwined, it seemed like. "Created by the two rangers who hold the power to seal Master Xandred away- it is said to unite the symbol power of all rangers into one." The older man explained, and Brooke wondered if Amaris knew anything about it.

Speaking of, Brooke had learned that Amaris was the protector of those who held the moon disk. She was only supposed to appear on rare occasions- when whoever held the moon disk was in grave peril. However, she appeared from time to time when Brooke needed her, the white wolf comforting the silver ranger through her nightmares. Brooke was the first silver ranger in ten generations to hold the moon disk, and Amaris seemed rather enthusiastic about being able to leave Sweetbrier Mountain. The white wolf had been around since the moon disk was created, fifteen generations ago, so Amaris knew about ranger history. It was interesting, learning from a wolf who uses symbol power to communicate her thoughts into people's minds. Apparently the silver ranger who created the moon disk was named Amaris Wolfe, and it was a tradition for the name Amaris to be passed down through the Wolfe family, one way or another. Brooke had received it as her middle name, and it was her mother's as well. It was also fitting, translating to "child of the moon".

Mike's voice snapped Brooke out of her thoughts. "Okay cool, let's fire it up." He stated excitedly, rubbing his hands together.

"It's not as simple as that," Jayden instantly shut that idea down, his voice hard. "The red ranger never finished the talisman." He explained, and Brooke ran a clawed hand over her face, letting out a quiet groan of annoyance.

"I'm gonna go ahead and take a wild guess here, so correct me if I'm wrong. But I'm assuming that the silver ranger didn't finish it either?" Brooke wondered, and when Ji nodded, she let out a sigh. "Go figure." She muttered and wasn't really surprised, in actuality. It seems like every other generation of samurai rangers failed to do something- whether it is on purpose or not.

"Many have tried, but none have the skill and power to complete it," Ji added, and the rangers instantly looked somewhat dejected.

"What about Brooke?" Emily offered, and Brooke instantly tensed, her eyes flashing. "It's part of the Wolfe family, isn't it?" She added, the yellow ranger glancing at the silver.

"The cage symbol needs to be done, that's pretty much what I'm made for, after all," Brooke joked weakly, letting out a forced laugh. "Why not Goldie? He's a techie." She offered, knowing that Antonio would probably _enjoy_ programming the black box. Plus it would get the attention off of her.

Mike instantly perked up. "Yeah! I mean, the guy programmed the zord like it was a coffee maker." He agreed, and Kevin let out a sigh.

"He doesn't have full mastery of symbol power like we do, you all know much it drains us as we use it," Kevin argued, and Brooke looked down at her clawed hands. He wasn't _wrong_ , the headache that Brooke had now was due to lack of symbol power, and her head throbbed in steady tune with her heartbeat. It wasn't fun, and she wouldn't wish it on anyone.

"Kevin's right," Jayden stated. "Trying to transfer even a few of our symbol powers into the box could destroy him." He added, and Brooke furrowed her brows.

Would the wolf symbol power _do something_ to Antonio? It was how the original shifter was made, after all. Could it turn him into one? That was worrying, so should _Brooke_ work on the black box? Her headache increased, but her annoyance turned into mild shock when the sound of claws hitting the wooden floor sounded. All six of the rangers jumped in surprise as Amaris appeared, violet eyes scanning the team.

"Amaris," Brooke breathed out, and the team glanced at the silver ranger and the white wolf with knit brows. "Why are you here?" She asked, and Amaris padded into the room, hopping onto the seat next to Brooke and Jayden.

 _"I can tell you have questions, Brooke,"_ Amaris answered, and Brooke let out a heavy sigh.

"Well, yeah, but- I'm kinda in the middle of a meeting," Brooke motioned to the team, who were all just in stunned silence. Well, Ji wasn't, he was just looking at the white wolf with a confused expression on his face. "You freaked the team out." She added, and Amaris laughed, fluffy ears flicking.

"Uh, you all can hear this too, right?" Mike asked the team, green eyes wide as he stared at Amaris. Who was rather nonchalant about the whole thing, her ears and tail only flicking slightly.

"It's pretty." Emily blurted, and Amaris seemed to smile, violet eyes sparkling with joy as she turned her attention to the yellow ranger.

Brooke felt the corners of her lips twitch as she ran her hand through Amaris' silver and white fur. "Amaris, why don't you introduce yourself?" She urged, and Amaris' tail flicked.

 _"I am Amaris, protector of those who holds the moon disk. I have been around for fifteen generations- I have seen battles be won and lost."_ Amaris introduced herself, her voice calm and even. It held its usual motherly tone, and Jayden raised his eyebrows at Brooke, who only wore a small smile. He found her expression cute but shoved that thought aside.

"How can you talk?" Mia wondered aloud, and Amaris laughed, a sound like bells ringing through the rangers', plus Ji's head.

 _"I am not a wolf, per se. I am a being made of symbol power, and that gives me the ability to communicate with those who hold symbol power,"_ Amaris explained, and Brooke stopped petting her. The silver ranger felt significantly less stressed with the white wolf around- she always did.

Kevin seemed skeptical, the blue ranger's brows knit together. "Symbol power- so, you can tell which ranger we are?" He blurted, and Amaris wagged her tail in response.

 _"You make it easy by wearing the colors you are affiliated with as well. But I can sense the symbol power coming off of each and every one of you in this room,"_ Amaris replied, her voice holding a somewhat teasing tone, and the six rangers looked down at their clothes. They were all proudly displaying their respective color in one way or another, Brooke with a grey hoodie under Casper's leather jacket. _"I have seen your ancestors rise and fall- multiple silver rangers had died trying to receive the moon disk. Brooke is the first of ten generations."_ She spoke softly, nuzzling the silver ranger's cheeks.

When the team turned to Brooke, she let out a sigh, grimacing when she recalled the memories of Sweetbrier Mountain. "Believe it or not, Wolfsbane is highly poisonous to shifters. It wasn't a fun hike." She muttered, and Jayden shot her a look of concern.

 _"Poisonous?_ Brooke, you could've called." Jayden chided, and Brooke shot him a deadpan expression.

"I did, Red. I wasn't falling down the mountain for the hell of it," Brooke retorted, her eyes flashing. "Anyways, Amaris. Do you know anything about transferring symbol power to the black box?" She questioned the white wolf, whose tail flicked once.

After a couple of moments of silence, Amaris spoke. _"Transferring symbol power is a fickle thing, but it's far less dangerous than Shiba is making it out to be,"_ Amaris answered, and Jayden furrowed his brows at the wolf. _"I have seen many do it over the generations- when the red and silver rangers swap disks, for example. It is transferring symbol power from one thing to another,_ " She explained, hopping down from her seat and padding around the six rangers. _"Your teammate- ranger of light, has the ability to. The action just takes immense mental strength and control. It is like Brooke working on the cage symbol, it is something that just needs to be done in moderation. Your worry for your teammate is understandable, but not necessary. From what I'm assuming, he holds immense mental strength and power to make himself a samurai ranger. He is your best candidate."_

"Wait- are we really trusting a _wolf_?" Kevin blurted, and Amaris stopped in her tracks, ears flicking.

 _"If I wanted to hurt anyone, I would've let Brooke repeat the fate of many past silver rangers- dying atop of Sweetbrier Mountain,"_ Amaris defended, her voice even and calm. She hopped back onto her seat and sat on her haunches, violet eyes shining bright. _"I am not a threat. My role is to protect, and that is what I do."_ She stated calmly, and Mia nodded.

The pink ranger smiled at the white wolf. "I trust her. It's obvious that Brooke trusts her, too," Mia mused, and Brooke felt the corners of her lips twitch upwards. "None of us want to see Antonio hurt, but- we're talking about saving the human race." She added, Jayden's expression only hardening.

"If he's willing, give him a shot." Mike urged Jayden, the red ranger setting his jaw and letting out a sigh.

"Okay." Jayden agreed after a couple of moments of hesitation, the team instantly perking up.

"First, you need to retrieve the black box," Ji commanded, and Brooke ran her hand through Amaris' fur, the white wolf wagging her tail in contentment. "For generations, it has been protected by guardians at the Tengen Gate."

With that, the meeting ended, the rangers and Ji leaving the meeting room. Well, all except Brooke, know just pet Amaris with a slight frown, chewing on her bottom lip as her eyes flashed.

 _"You are in distress,"_ Amaris pointed out, and Brooke let out a heavy sigh. _"You are working yourself far too hard, my dear. Mental fatigue is taking its toll on you."_ She added, and Brooke let out a groan, burying her head in her clawed hands.

"I- I know that, Amaris. But I don't have any other choice." Brooke agreed hesitantly, her voice muffled by her hands.

Amaris nudged Brooke's cheek with her snout, the silver ranger raising her head to glance at the white wolf. _"A life of spite will leave you burnt out, Brooke. You cannot stay angry forever."_ The white wolf murmured, and Brooke's eyes flashed as her claws and canines grew in.

"Don't put my insecurities on blast now, Amaris," Brooke tried joking, but the white wolf only flicked her tail once. "Listen- I know, I know. I just can't-"

"End up like Jane?" Jayden finished, and Brooke nodded weakly. Her grey-gold eyes showed slight fear and stress, but in an instant, her expression hardened.

Jayden and Amaris were like the tag team of pointing out Brooke's insecurities and fears. She didn't necessarily enjoy it. "Red, Amaris- just drop it, okay? I don't want to go down that road right now." _Or ever._ Brooke urged, and Amaris seemed to somehow nod.

The white wolf hopped off of her seat and padded over to the red ranger, Jayden glancing at Amaris with furrowed brows. _"The fates of the Wolfe and Shiba bloodlines had always been intertwined, but I have never seen them carry such a strong bond between them. You two are interesting, very much so."_ She mused, and there was a hint of amusement in her tone.

"Well- we're friends. We have been for a long time," Jayden commented, sounding flustered, and Brooke found a strange sense of disappointment filling her gut. _Well, that was stupid._ "She means a lot to me." He added, his voice barely above a whisper.

 _"I am able to tell,_ " Amaris laughed, looking back over to Brooke. _"I will not join you going to the Tegen Gate- but I'll be watching over you. Call on me if you need anything, I will be right by your side, my dear."_ She promised, and Brooke nodded, standing up from her seat.

Her head pounded, but Brooke ignored it as she walked over and kneeled in front of Amaris. "Thanks, Amaris. I appreciate it." She murmured, running her hand through Amaris' white fur.

 _"It is my role, Brooke. There is no need to thank me,"_ Amaris stated, but her voice had a hint of joy to it. _"Take care of yourself, my dear. Overworking can lead to the downfall of the strongest warrior,"_ She advised, and Brooke nodded. The silver ranger stood, and the white wolf turned her attention to the red ranger. _"You two keeping each other safe is a good asset to have, take care of each other."_

"We will," Jayden promised, loosely intertwining his fingers with Brooke's. "Thank you, Amaris. It was nice meeting you." He thanked, and Amaris laughed.

 _"Apologies that my introduction was so sudden. It was nice meeting you as well, Jayden. I have heard a lot about you from Brooke,"_ Amaris teased, and Brooke's face flushed slightly. _"Farewell."_ The white wolf bounced in place twice, and then leapt through the air, disappearing in a flash of silver.

"She's interesting," Jayden summarized, and Brooke hummed in response, tightening her grip on his hand slightly. "Are you doing alright? Amaris is right- you shouldn't overwork yourself." He commented, and Brooke nodded, letting out a heavy sigh.

"Yeah, I know. It's just a headache, nothing new. I'm okay," Brooke promised with a weak smile, and Jayden ran his thumb over her knuckles. "If anything happens, I'll let you know. You know that." She promised.

Jayden felt the corners of his lips twitch. "I do. We'll get through this, just like we always do." He spoke softly, and Brooke raised an eyebrow with a small smile.

"You're taking my lines now, Red. That's hardly fair," Brooke joked, and Jayden rolled his eyes with a smile. Brooke had the urge to kiss him but decided not to act on impulse. "But, you're right. We have a good track record so far, I think we can make it." She agreed, and Jayden nodded.

"We will. Are you ready to visit the Tegen Gate?" Jayden asked, the two rangers dropping hands as they walked out of the meeting room.

"Yeah, kinda. It seems kinda familiar, and I don't know why," Brooke confessed, her eyes flashing. "But, I suppose we'll find out." She let out a small sigh, really hoping that this doesn't end a clusterfuck.

* * *

A wooden Shinto shrine came into view as the six rangers walked towards the Tengen Gate. On top of the shrine were the Wolfe and Shiba family crests, and Brooke stopped in her tracks when a strange sense of familiarity washed over her. She had been here _._ But, why? For what purpose? Shaking those thoughts aside, Brooke let out a small sigh, catching up with Jayden again. He was sticking close to her side- and Brooke didn't mind it. It was comforting to have his constant presence.

"This is the Tengen Gate? It's just a big wood thing." Mike blurted, looking at the Shinto shrine in disbelief as he walked through it.

Brooke snickered while Jayden sighed. "The Tengen Gate is an important part of ranger history, Mike." Jayden scolded, the five other rangers bowing at the shrine and then walking through it.

 _There was fire. And blood._ Brooke stopped in her tracks, claws, and canines growing in as gold eyes inspected the area. The five other rangers stopped in their tracks, noticing how the silver ranger seemed ready to attack, her body tense and hands twitching. Emily was the first one to move, placing a comforting hand on Brooke's arm, who jumped slightly in surprise.

"Hey, Brooke, is everything okay? You seem on edge." Mia pointed out, and Brooke nodded, willing away her inhumane features and flashing Mia a smile.

"Yeah, just thought I remembered something," Brooke stated nonchalantly, her eyes flashing and returning to their original grey. It wasn't a lie, she just didn't tell them that what she presumably remembered was _concerning_ \- incredibly so. "Sorry, caught me off guard." She smiled sheepishly, noticing Jayden's quirked brow. _Ah, so he knew I was lying._

"As long as you're alright," Emily stated cheerfully, and Brooke felt some of her worries disperse at the blonde's happy attitude.

Even if those memories were real- they were just _memories._ Brooke reminded herself that she had the team by her side, and it was just a memory. Nothing bad would happen, she assumed that the Tengen Gate probably had protection symbols since it guarded the black box. She brushed Jayden's arms with her fingertips, shooting him a reassuring smile. He didn't return it, only looking at Brooke in concern, who shook her head.

 _Well, this is starting out great,_ Brooke thought bitterly as they walked into what was presumably a memorial garden. While the five other rangers were interested in the memorial where the first samurai rangers fought with the nighlok, Brooke's gaze landed on a different statue. It was a stone statue of a wolf howling, it's eyes bronze to represent the golden color that the eyes of the shifters' wolf forms held. It was pretty, and Brooke gently ran her fingertips over the details of the wolf's fur.

_"Mama, look!" A four-year-old Brooke pointed to the stone statue, tugging on her mother's hand. Her black pigtails swung, the young girl wearing an enthusiastic smile. "It's like you!" She stated confidently, and Jane Wolfe let out a small laugh._

_Green eyes sparkled with a mix of joy and jealousy as Jane watched Brooke run over to the statue, the younger girl in awe. "Brooke- be careful!" Jane warned, shooting an apologetic smile at an older man who wore a necklace of large wooden beads. "I'm sorry, she's captivated by wolves, ironically enough." She apologized, and the man shook his head with a small smile._

_"It is quite alright, Jane. I'm surprised she's still…" The man trailed, and Jane's eyes flashed, the woman's claws growing in._

_"Alive? Me too," Jane muttered bitterly, glaring at the memorial that bore the Shiba crest. "She's still just Brooke, though, and I'm grateful for that," She stated, her mood instantly brightening as Brooke ran back over to her mother. "C'mon kiddo, let's head inside, okay? There's more stuff you can see in there." Jane urged with a small smile, willing away her claws, and holding out a hand._

_Brooke nodded, taking her mother's hand with her smaller one. With that, the two silver rangers- the seventeenth and eighteenth generations', walked into the Tengen Gate._

Brooke snapped out of her flashback, her looking down at the wolf statue with knit brows. So, she _had_ come here. Well, Jane had come here, Brooke guessing that it was before she left the team. The memory left her with a bittersweet feeling- and Brooke didn't want to go through this whole little field trip and regain more memories. She was scared of what they could actually _be_. For all she knew, she could have even _more_ trauma to add to the list. Brooke shook those thoughts out of her head as Jayden walked over to her, the red ranger inspecting the statue.

"I get a whole statue, Red. It's that something?" Brooke joked, wearing her usual grin, and Jayden rolled his eyes playfully. It was better just to pretend like feelings weren't there.

Another thing that crossed Brooke's mind was if she should be calling Jayden, well, _Jayden._ Would somebody get offended that she was calling "the great red ranger" an unoriginal nickname? Jayden hadn't said anything about it, so Brooke assumed it was fine.

 _"You're_ something," Jayden retorted, and Brooke snickered, her grin growing wider. "But, in actuality, I didn't know the Wolfe family had their own memorial." He admitted, and Brooke's eyes flashed as she peered at the statue again.

"Well, I do have a different crest compared to you and the others- maybe the original silver ranger was a lone wolf, no pun intended. They didn't join the Shiba Clan until later or something." Brooke thought aloud but spun on her heel when she heard footsteps lightly crossing the gravel.

The same man Brooke saw in her flashback, just older, had just started walking through the garden when he noticed the silver ranger. "I can see your sense of hearing is as good as ever, Brooke. You are also correct regarding the Wolfe family, the silver rangers did not fight alongside the Shiba Clan until the fifth generation," The man, who was bald and had a white goatee, stated, and Brooke quirked a brow as he walked over. She had questions- a lot of them, actually, but she kept quiet as the team regrouped with her and Jayden.

The elderly man walked up to the team, wearing a small, but warm, smile. "I am Daisuke- the elder guardian. Welcome to the Tengen Gate," Daisuke introduced himself, and the six rangers bowed politely in a greeting back. "Your mentor advised us that you were coming. Please." He motioned to what could only be called a servant, five of the six rangers following him.

Soon it was only Daisuke and Jayden in the memorial garden. "You two care for each other, it's a change of pace," Daisuke mused, and Jayden glanced at him, furrowing his brows. "Despite their fates being so intertwined, the silver and red rangers usually dislike each other. Your father and Brooke's mother were no different." He explained, and Jayden hummed in response, lost in thought.

 _Well, his dad is rolling in his grave._ Jayden wondered what his dad would even say if he could see _this._ His son having feelings for the daughter of the woman he hated. "We've been friends for years," Jayden stated, knowing _damn well_ that was a cop-out.

Jayden knew his sense of adoration for Brooke was getting out of hand. He knew it, but he didn't want to _stop._ However, while he wanted nothing more to confess his feelings- and the feelings to get _reciprocated_ , he was scared. Because things could blow up in his face rather easily if Jayden wasn't careful, and there was also the whole ranger aspect to it. He already knew Brooke fighting beside him was _risky_ , as the constant urge to protect her made him want to jump in front of every attack she had to bear. But, Jayden knew he couldn't do that. For multiple reasons. So, he always pushed that urge aside and stuck to the stuff he was somewhat bad at- talking to Brooke. Luckily she didn't seem to mind or notice, and Jayden tried to convey his words through physical affection. Two touch starved rangers having the ability to hold each other close was a nice feeling.

"You haven't told them your secret, have you?" Daisuke asked, and Jayden's somewhat happy mood fell. He knew that was coming- and he braced himself for the tension headache.

 _He hated it._ Jayden felt bad about the whole thing- sometimes he felt like he wasn't even deserving of the nickname "Red" half the time. "They're my friends Daisuke, I don't like lying to them, but…" He trailed, and Jayden honestly wondered how things would be different.

Would he still be childhood friends with Brooke and Antonio? Jayden's guessing so because everything would be pretty much the same, but when they were _older?_ He'd probably be out of the Shiba House, so he would've never met Brooke and Antonio for the second time. Or if he did, it would be for a brief moment, as there couldn't be two red rangers. He wouldn't be able to stay- and Jayden was somewhat happy about being able to stay now. He had Brooke and Antonio back, that was good, and even if he had to lie to their faces, he just shoved the guilt aside. _It will turn out okay. Like it always does._

Daisuke clapping Jayden on the shoulder snapped him out of his thoughts. "I'm sorry Jayden, but it is your responsibility to be the red ranger." The older man murmured, and Jayden forced a small smile.

"I know. I won't fail them." Jayden vowed, and he could hear Brooke saying the same thing in his mind. They were similar in that regard. Speaking of, blue eyes fell on the silver ranger, and the red felt his heart leap somewhat. _She was waiting for him._

Brooke was leaning against a pillar, tapping the toe of her grey military boot on the ground as she willed her claws in and willed them away again and again- a habit she did when she was bored. Or waiting for someone, because she instantly raised her head when the smell of smoke and the forest filled her nostrils. "Heya, Red. C'mon, we can't be late for our field trip." She teased, watching triumphantly as Jayden's stressed expression broke- even if it was only for a moment. It was subtle, but the corners of his lips twitched upwards for a moment, and the crease in his forehead did disappear.

Jayden said nothing, glancing to make sure Daisuke wasn't watching them, and then intertwining his fingers with hers. Appearances to be kept and all. Brooke felt like it was for the both of them, and she gave his hand a reassuring squeeze, which Jayden returned. The silver and red rangers followed Daisuke through the Tengen Gate, both rangers trying to shove aside their emotions.

When the silver and red rangers walked into a room where the rest of the team was gathered and inspecting an old painting, Brooke let go of Jayden's hand. To keep the perfect soldier façade up, and so she didn't scratch him with her claws, because they were now fully bared.

_"Mama!" A four-year-old Brooke screamed, tears streaming down her face as she watched a nighlok cut down another servant. Blood got splattered onto the walls and floors, the man's scream turning into a gurgle as blood filled his mouth. Things were on fire, the smell of smoke and blood causing the young girl to choke. "Mama! Please!" She begged, her face pale as the nighlok sauntered into the room, pointing its blade at Brooke._

_"You naïve little girl, "Mama" isn't going to come to help you." The nighlok snickered, but an angry growl came from the doorway and cut the monster off before it could say anything else._

_Jane was morphed, but her helmet was off, revealing her fully bared canines and gold eyes. "Like hell, I'm letting you touch my daughter!" She growled, a gloved hand coming up to the wolf disk on the Wolf Kunai. "Lone Wolf!" Jane screamed, and a large burst of silver energy filled the room._

"Brooke!" Mia called in concern as Brooke stumbled back and clutched her head. Jayden grabbed her wrist before she could fall, and Brooke's chest heaved as gold eyes snapped around the room.

Brooke's gaze landed on a small blood splatter on the painting that was on the back wall of the room. It could be played off as a design choice, but she had a strong feeling it wasn't. "Daisuke," Brooke muttered, turning her attention to the elder guardian. "Something happened here, with my mother, right? A nighlok attack?" She questioned, and the five other rangers shot the silver confused look.

"You are correct, Brooke. Jane did an excellent job of defending this place, of defending _you,_ " Daisuke answered, and Brooke's eyes flashed. "A nighlok was after the black box, and you and your mother were here at the time." He explained, and Mia knit her brows.

"Brooke, didn't you say your mom quit the team?" Mia asked Brooke, who nodded faintly and sucked in a sharp breath.

"I- I don't know for sure, but I think it was before that happened. Because Mom kicked the bucket right after I got turned into a shifter. Three days, actually, found that one out," Brooke sounded nonchalant, her voice almost monotone. The team found it worrying. "I'm gonna get some fresh air, sorry for that. My brain's been acting weird." She apologized, forcing a small smile and leaving the room before anyone could say anything.

Mike watched her retreating form, shaking his head slightly. "She sure knows how to play things off. If I were her, it'd be freaked." He muttered, and Emily frowned, concern etched on her face.

"I feel bad for her- it's obvious that all this is taking a toll on her," Emily spoke softly, and Jayden let out a heavy sigh. "Jayden, do you think you could talk to her?" The yellow ranger asked the red, who shook his head.

"She had that look on her face that says she wants to be alone. She'll come back." Jayden replied, reassuring the team somewhat. He was worried- he always was, but it wasn't like he could _do anything._

Meanwhile, Brooke sat in the memorial garden again, just trying to turn her thoughts _off._ It was easier said than done, and she let out a groan of frustration and ran a clawed hand over her face. This was annoying, and Brooke would _much rather_ be taking a nap right about now. She honestly could, just shift and hide in the garden, but Brooke knew that the team would be looking for her if she didn't come back.

 _"You are subconsciously summoning me, my dear,"_ Amaris appeared in a flash of silver, violet eyes shining with worry. _"This is the second time today, you need to rest, Brooke. You are working yourself too hard, and your mental state isn't what it was. Jayden would understand."_ She murmured, nuzzling Brooke's cheek, who didn't say anything.

The silver ranger shifted, the brown wolf laying on the gravel with her ears pressed flat to her head. Amaris didn't say anything, the white wolf laying so she was curled around the brown protectively. _"It is okay to feel things, my dear. Nobody can hurt you anymore."_ Amaris murmured, and wolf-Brooke just closed her eyes.

* * *

Brooke realized she was sticking closer to Jayden than she was before. Not that he seemed to care, he just seemed mostly nonchalant and slightly worried. After she had regained her bearings- also known as taking a power nap, she had regrouped with the team, Amaris sticking in the area but out of sight. The white wolf claimed that she hadn't seen the area in generations, but Brooke guessed it was so that Amaris could keep an eye on her. Not that she really _minded-_ Amaris was like the mother she never had, just… a wolf. And centuries-old, but still. The white wolf was extremely calming, and she smelt like lavender. It was nice.

Sitting on her knees next to Jayden, Brooke recalled another memory, a happier one. It was her trying to match her mother's posture, in the same pose, she sat in now. Like mother, like daughter- though Brooke didn't know what to think about Jane Wolfe. One part of Brooke resented her- the other just felt sad and guilty. Casper had said it was some psychology thing, she wanted the love her mother never gave her. That was causing Brooke's opinion of her mother to be almost _bittersweet_. It was incredibly _depressing._

Jayden heard Brooke's almost silent murmurs and nudged her shoulder with his own discreetly. He quirked a brow, and she just shook her head. _Drop it._ He nodded faintly, noticing the way Brooke's shoulders slumped in relief some.

The red ranger tore his attention away from the silver when Daisuke sat a black wooden box in the middle of the two rangers. "The black box, the most powerful samurai weapon ever conceived. Few even know of its existence." Daisuke started, taking off the lid of the wooden box.

Inside of the box was a black talisman, which had the Wolfe family crest in silver and the Shiba family crest in gold on it. That fact alone caused the corners of Brooke's mouth to twitch. It seemed like the original Wolfe had their flair for dramatics. The silver and red rangers shared a look, blue eyes meeting grey-gold. It was the look of mutual confusion, as the two rangers didn't really know _what to do._ Brooke because she's never dealt with samurai bullshit to this degree, and Jayden because he was just bad at communication. Brooke just motioned to the box and shrugged discreetly, Jayden taking the silent cue and gingerly picking up the talisman.

Blue eyes scanned the talisman, and Jayden seemed transfixed, which was something Brooke found _cute._ Well, now she was back in _that_ thought process- which was better than her wanting to have a mental breakdown. So, Brooke will take it. She also missed Antonio and wondered what her sparkly ranger in arms was doing now. He always lightened the mood, no pun intended, and the silver ranger wondered how the gold would react to all of this. She just looked down at the gold and black bracelet on her wrist, smiling faintly as she readjusted it. At least she had two people that could keep her level headed.

"Thank you Daisuke," Jayden breathed, snapping out of his trance and turning his attention to the elder guardian. "We shall protect it with our lives." He vowed, and Brooke raised her eyebrows slightly at the "we" comment but didn't say anything. She just hoped that it didn't come to the point of dying for a talisman.

"I hope your friend can program it, with each passing day the nighlok presence grows stronger. I fear, that soon, even this sacred place will be corrupt with their evil." Daisuke confessed, and Brooke sniffed the air, tensing somewhat.

 _"Amaris, can you keep a lookout?"_ Brooke called to the wolf, well, more like thought. It was a way of commutation without having to talk, and Amaris didn't have to be nearby. _"I smell nighlok- it's extremely faint, so it might be a placebo effect, but still."_ She thought, waiting for Amaris' response.

After a couple of moments, Amaris responded. _"Of course, my dear. Stay on guard, this place needs better protection."_ Brooke didn't know if that was meant to be a joke, but she still found it somewhat funny. She just focused on looking like she _wasn't_ on edge, willing away her inhumane features as one of the servants set down a tray filled with multiple cups of tea.

Brooke didn't like tea- she never has but tried to look enthusiastic when Jayden handed her a cup. He noticed this and raised a brow with a small smile, Brooke wrinkling her nose some in response. That caused Jayden to laugh under his breath, the silent banter falling when Daisuke spoke.

"To honor the ancient rangers," Daisuke stated, and the team raised their cups in somewhat of a toast. "And for good fortune in battle." He prayed, and Brooke and Jayden were the first ones to take sips of the tea. She was somewhat fine, the tea having a weird aftertaste- but when Jayden collapsed, coughing violently, Brooke realized that they were both _fucked._

"The tea- it's poisoned!" Jayden choked out, and Brooke cursed under her breath and let out a low growl. She knew the poison was probably acting slowly due to her being a shifter- but it was in her system now.

 _"Brooke. Front gate, a nighlok is present."_ Amaris warned, and Brooke snapped her head up, her eyes narrowing and turning gold.

The smell of death and rotten milk instantly assaulted her senses, and Brooke took command. "The smell of nighlok is strong- I'm guessing the front gate. Go, I'll help Red to the best of my abilities and be right there," _And try not to choke to death._ "Hurry!" She barked, speaking around her canines, and the five remaining rangers nodded and sprinted off.

Luckily, Brooke could keep a level head in a crisis. Living with James made her less likely to crack under pressure. Pulling her samuraizer out of the pocket of Casper's leather jacket, the silver ranger called the gold. "Hey, Antonio. We need you at the Tengen Gate, it's gone south." She forced herself to not sound like she was dying.

 _"Got it. Be right there."_ Antonio promised, and the line went dead, Brooke not bothering with putting her samuraizer back in her pocket. She just shut it and set it next to her.

Jayden's head was in Brooke's lap- and any other _damn time_ he would've enjoyed it. His head spun, and he just forced himself to control his breathing somewhat so that he didn't cough up a lung. "Go- I'll be fine." Jayden wheezed out, and both he and Brooke knew that was a lie.

"No can do," Brooke muttered weakly, shaking her head. Then she instantly regretted that action, because it caused the room to spin and nausea to make itself present. "You and I both know the nighlok wants _us,_ Red. Let's just keep that from happening," She added, pushing some of Jayden's sweaty bangs away from his forehead. Jayden reached for Brooke's hand, and she pulled it away. "I'll cut you. I can't will them away right now." She explained, waving her clawed hand for emphasis, and Jayden grit his teeth.

"Brooke- I don't care." Jayden hissed out in pain, and Brooke let him grab her hand, him holding it in a white knuckle grip.

After a couple of minutes, Brooke started coughing. "There it is." She joked weakly, and Jayden's eyes snapped open, his grip on Brooke's hand tightening.

The two rangers were panting, sweat causing their hair to stick to their foreheads. Brooke's head spun, and she just tried to keep her focus on Jayden, because she knew she was technically doing better than him. She stifled a cough with her elbow, ignoring the rawness of her throat. After she caught her breath to the best of her abilities, Brooke felt her senses perk as the smell of nighlok filled her senses again.

 _Oh, that wasn't good._ Brooke was guessing it was a second nighlok- and that probably meant that the team was busy. And while Amaris could fight, Brooke didn't want the wolf fighting her battles for her. Jayden was going to have her head for her plan, and Brooke knew it, but she had to do her job. She had to _protect._ The Tengen Gate _and_ Jayden. She also knew that Antonio would be showing up soon, but she couldn't leave nighlok to its own devices. So, Brooke knew she had to do the stupidest thing she's done in a while, fight the nighlok. Alone. And poisoned.

"Amaris! I need you!" Brooke called out, her voice hoarse, and in a flash of silver, the white wolf appeared.

 _"I do not hold healing properties, my dear,"_ Amaris murmured, then she presumably smelt the nighlok as well. _"Brooke, you are not thinking clearly."_ She warned, and Brooke let out a choked laugh.

"I don't do that much anyway," Brooke joked, and Jayden furrowed his brows, coughing. "Watch over Red, I'm going to do my job." She stated, and Jayden's grip tightened on her hand.

He did _not_ like the small smile Brooke gave him. "Brooke. Don't do this." Jayden coughed, and Brooke let go of his hand, removing his head from her lap.

This is exactly what Jayden _didn't_ want to happen, and he shot a wide-eyed look at Amaris. She seemed to be having the same thought process, white ears pressed flat to her head, and violet eyes shining bright with worry. Jayden was _terrified_ , and he couldn't shove it down. His body was in far too much pain for that, and Jayden knew it was hypocritical to get mad- if roles were reversed, he'd do the exact same thing. _He knew that._ So, instead of anger he just felt worry and fear.

Brooke pushed herself off the ground, grabbing her samuraizer. She stumbled some, launching into a coughing fit, but she forced herself to keep walking. The entire room spun, and it was like Sweetbrier Mountain but _worse_ because at least she didn't have to fight a nighlok on Sweetbrier. Still, the show must go on, even though Brooke knew it was going to crash and burn. She was going to make it out of this alive- she wouldn't allow herself to die, and there's _no way in hell_ she would let Jayden die, but Brooke knew that what she was doing was _incredibly_ rash and reckless.

"Brooke," Jayden's choked voice caused Brooke to stop in her tracks. The silver ranger turned to face the red, who had an expression of agony on his face. "Just- just stay safe." He forced out, and Brooke broke into a small, sad smile.

"Always am," Brooke muttered, not knowing if Jayden could hear her. So, she just spun on her heel and then clutched her head, letting out a groan of pain. So, quick movements made it worse. Well- that was all her fighting style was, so this battle is not going to go well. _"I love you, with all the stars and the moon."_ She breathed out, barely audible, casting Jayden one last small smile. The look of worry mixed with pain broke her heart.

Still, Brooke knew she had to do her job. To protect. Flipping open her samuraizer, she drew the familiar symbol as she walked down the halls. The kanji for wolf shone in silver, and Brooke activated it. The familiar suit appeared on the silver ranger's body, and she grit her teeth underneath her helmet. _"Samurai Ranger, Ready."_ Brooke choked out, drawing her blades and breaking into an uneven sprint.

* * *

"I'm surprised you're still standing, silver ranger." Octoroo giggled, and Brooke tightened her grip on her katanas. She could barely make out the squid-nighlok due to the black spots decorating her vision.

Brooke knew that wasn't a good sign, and her chest heaved as she grit her teeth. A wave of pain surfaced, and it felt like it was in her blood. "Don't underestimate me." She hissed through clenched teeth. And with that, the battle began.

The silver ranger _tried_ to hit the nighlok, but Octoroo dodged her swings with ease. Brooke stumbled some, her silver boots kicking up gravel dust, and the world was spinning _far too_ quickly. Still, she tried her best, even when her body started giving out. Her swings became much weaker, and soon she fell to her knees. The silver ranger suit and katanas disappeared, Brooke resisting the urge to claw her throat as she coughed violently.

"I didn't even have to hit you and you're on the ground!" Octoroo exclaimed gleefully, and Brooke let out a choked growl, glaring at the nighlok. "All you need to do to save yourself and your precious red ranger is show me the symbol that you can use to seal Master Xandred away." He offered, and Brooke shook her head with a cough.

"No way in hell," Brooke growled, pushing herself up off of the ground. She stumbled some but remained standing, and Brooke knew she was going to wolf out soon if this little game kept going. So, she had to end it.

Meanwhile, Amaris was laying her head on Jayden's chest, the red ranger petting the white wolf weakly. It was strangely comforting, well, as comforting as it could be with Jayden being poisoned. The worry and fear clawed at his heart, but he knew that Brooke wouldn't have stayed anyway. He wanted her to- for himself, selfishly, and _her_ , but, it couldn't be helped.

A pain-filled scream rang out, and both Jayden and Amaris heard it, the white wolf and red ranger spurring to action. _"Can you walk?"_ Amaris questioned, and she let Jayden use her as a crutch to stand.

When he stood on his two feet and regained his balance, Jayden nodded. He felt like _shit,_ but the panic soon blocked out the feeling of the poison. "Let's go." He coughed, breaking into a jog- which wasn't a jog. It was just him half running and half tripping down the hallway.

When Jayden and Amaris reached the front entrance, blue eyes widened and violet narrowed. Brooke was lying on the ground, clutching her chest and coughing weakly, it was obvious that she was on the brink of passing out. _"Brooke!"_ Jayden heard himself scream, and he was moving without thinking, summoning his spin-sword. It was all adrenaline and pure panic, and soon the red ranger cradled the silver against his chest, holding his spin-sword in front of them both protectively.

Jayden's head instantly spun with that action, and he let out a groan. His spin-sword disappeared, and he cursed under his breath. _Well, that lasted long,_ he thought bitterly, just tightening his grip on Brooke, who launched into another coughing fit, her body shaking with every cough. Luckily, Amaris was standing in front of the two rangers protectively, her fur bristled and snarling.

 _"You have done enough. I know these two, they will not give you the sealing symbols. It is a waste of breath and energy,"_ Amaris snarled, taking slow steps forward and settling into a defensive position. _"Go back to the Netherworld."_ She growled, and Jayden felt himself growing weaker by the second. He looked down at Brooke, and she was unconscious, clutching onto his red shirt weakly. Jayden then turned his attention to Amaris and Octoroo. The white wolf was much angrier than Jayden had seen her before, her once calm voice full of rage.

Octoroo only giggled. "They will just suffer, and is that what you really want?" He asked Amaris, who growled, baring her canines as the nighlok turned his attention to Jayden. "Just show me the sealing symbol- I'll give you the antidote. It'll save all three of us a lot of grief." The squid-nighlok stated, and Jayden grit his teeth.

Even if he _wanted to,_ which he didn't, Jayden knew he couldn't. That wasn't his job- and he didn't even know what the symbol looked like, in actuality. He knew more about the cage symbol than his own family's sealing symbol. But, Octoroo didn't know that, and Jayden planned to keep it that way. "Never." He choked out, and Octoroo let out a bark of laughter.

"Heh, that's how you want to play? I'll force it out of you!" Octoroo threatened, pointing the tip of his staff at the white wolf, silver, and red rangers. When he fired, Jayden braced himself for the impact, squeezing his eyes shut and tightening his hold on Brooke.

It never came, instead, Amaris' voice rang out. _"Praesidium!"_ The white wolf yelled, and a translucent purple wall appeared in front of the two poisoned rangers. Amaris' ears flicked, and violet eyes fell on the pair. _"Jayden. I cannot fight- it is not my role, however, I can stay if need be."_ She spoke, and Jayden closed his eyes, letting the pain overtake him.

He heard Antonio's yell of "gold power", and Jayden let out a choked laugh. It seems like they were always saving one another. "It's okay, Amaris. Keep yourself safe," He muttered, hearing the sounds of Antonio battling Octoroo. "Thank you." Jayden forced out, and Amaris padded over, nuzzling Jayden and Brooke's cheeks in turn.

 _"I am sorry I cannot do more. As I am assigned as a protector, I am physically unable to fight,"_ Amaris apologized, her voice filled with guilt. _"You two will be alright- something is telling me that."_ She murmured, and with that, Jayden let his mind go blank.

The only thing he forced himself to do was keep a hold on Brooke as he fell backwards. Jayden hit the gravel, letting out a groan that turned into a weak cough. He heard Antonio, and silently thanked the gold ranger as he fell unconscious, the red ranger clutching the silver to his chest.


	18. to protect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jayden and Brooke both fight the urge to fight Deker, and that causes more doubts to arise in the red and silver ranger's heads.

The sound of someone walking through water woke Brooke up. It wasn't Jayden- the pattern of footsteps was far too different. She was also being carried, and not by Jayden. He was nearby, as the smell of smoke and his cologne was present, but also was the smell of nighlok. That caused panic to settle in, but Brooke couldn't find the strength to open her eyes, let alone fight. She could just pick a god and pray that _this_ wasn't how she was going to die. Poisoned and afraid, and Brooke just let her body go limp, using all her energy to keep somewhat of a thought process going. She could always summon Amaris if need be, but since the white wolf was connected to the silver ranger's symbol power, she wouldn't be able to stay long. Brooke knew that she was far too weak to do much, so she just let fate throw whatever the fuck this was at her. Frankly, she just wanted a nap- a normal one, without the poison.

Her entire body throbbed, and Brooke remembered her failed fight with Octoroo. She remembered Jayden yelling- but he did that in almost every battle, so Brooke didn't know what to think of it. She just hoped that they were going to be alright, for the most part. Was that a dream that could easily be crushed? _Of course._ The two rangers with the most bounty on their heads were poisoned and too weak to fight. Brooke knew multiple nighlok would be drooling at the chance to have her head on a stake- and this made it extremely easy to do so. However, she knew she couldn't do anything about it, so she just forced the fear down.

"Heh, rescuing you two has become a bit of a bad habit," It was fuzzy, but Brooke recognized the voice. _Deker._ That wasn't good in the slightest, but maybe the half-human wouldn't just stab the silver and red rangers and call it a day. "But the one I intend to soon break. _Permanently."_ Deker finished, and Brooke braced herself for whatever pain was about to come.

There wasn't pain, instead, there was a _splash_ , and the water caused Brooke to gather enough energy to force her eyes open. Her and Jayden both resurfaced, coughing, and Brooke felt his hand cover hers under the water as he glared at Deker. Brooke didn't have the strength for that, so she just stared at her reflection in the murky water. She was even too weak to shift properly, and she looked almost _human_ , as her features didn't change despite the stress she felt. Her canines were normal- well, normal for _her_ , sized, and her eyes were their usual grey. But, they were glazed over, and Brooke found her strength leaving her body by the second.

"Stay under," Deker advised, and Brooke wondered if she passed out right now, would she drown. Well- no, because Jayden was here, and the silver ranger could hear the red coughing up a lung. Not good, but he was alive. "The water will purge the poison from both of your systems." The half-human stated, and while Brooke just zoned out, Jayden leveled a glare at Deker.

Oh, he was terrified, but Jayden tried not to show it. The poison was making his head spin, and he was in too much pain and too exhausted to turn his thoughts off. That was aggravating, as Jayden _wouldn't_ let his emotions dictate his actions in times like these. Well, it was his first time getting poisoned, but the red ranger has dealt with enough threats to his life to know what and what _not_ to do. Still, blue eyes fell on the silver ranger, and they sparkled with worry as Jayden took in the way Brooke didn't react to anything around her. She was just staring at her reflection, eyes dull, and Jayden tightened his grip on her hand underwater. It did nothing- Brooke only blinked, and she looked _half dead._

It made Jayden feel extremely guilty, as she had to fight the nighlok alone because _he_ wasn't strong enough. This was partially _his fault,_ and the last thing he wanted to see. Brooke looked like a zombie, her chest rising and falling extremely faintly, and it was worrying.

Deker noticed the red ranger's worried look. "Heh, you're letting your concern get to you," He mocked, and Jayden's expression turned from one of worry to one of fresh anger. "Don't be alarmed, Octoroo no doubtedly gave her a stronger dose to combat her gift- her wolf side. Trust me, there's nothing I want more than you two to be in top form. The sooner you two recover, the sooner I'll be able to duel you two, and strike you both down." Deker explained, and Jayden grit his teeth, letting out a hiss of anger and pain.

Meanwhile, Brooke lost consciousness altogether, her eyes rolling to the back of her head and her arms giving out. She landed face-first into the water, and Jayden turned his attention to Brooke again, plunging himself back into the water and making sure Brooke didn't drown.

* * *

Grey eyes snapped open, and Brooke instantly started choking, coughing up water. She felt bad but _better._ Her throat was hoarse with all the coughing she was doing, but she eventually got all of the water out of her system. She also threw up, but that was just water anyways, and Brooke eventually found herself breathing. Her breaths were short and ragged, but she was breathing again. Soon, her senses started to kick in again, and she heard quick footsteps coming towards her direction. It was Jayden, and that was good.

"Hey, hey, I've got you," Jayden spoke quickly but reassuringly, and Brooke nearly cried when she felt a pair of warm arms wrap around her body. "Can you stand?" He asked, and Brooke nodded, letting out a groan and pushing herself to her feet. She stumbled some, but Jayden offered himself as support.

Brooke squinted as her vision cleared, taking in the area where she and Jayden were now. In front of them laid a large cave, and Brooke's eyes flashed as she saw the faint glow of firelight coming from the inside of the cave. "Welcome to my MTV cribs house tour." She joked, looking up at Jayden with a weak smile, and he responded with a deadpan expression.

"Brooke, you nearly _drowned,_ and you're joking?" Jayden wondered, and when Brooke nodded, he let out a sigh. Still, it was somewhat reassuring, that despite the poison that was leaving their systems and the stress both rangers felt, Brooke could joke around.

"In all seriousness," Brooke muttered, the playful air falling as she let Jayden guide her into the cave. "Where the _fuck_ are we? Can we get in contact with the team?" She questioned, and Jayden shook his head, tightening his grip on Brooke some.

"I don't know, I haven't had time to check," Jayden confessed, sounding exhausted and defeated. "And Deker's here, so…" He trailed, and Brooke nodded.

She understood, Brooke knew that she _couldn't_ piss Deker off, even though she wanted to. He had the upper hand- the ability to kill the silver and red rangers easily. Speaking of, the half-human was sitting by the small fire and motioned to the area across from him. "Have a seat." He urged.

Brooke and Jayden shared a worried look but complied, both of them somewhat struggling to sit down. Brooke fell somewhat, but, eventually, the two rangers were seated. The red was holding onto the silver protectively, him having a hold on her waist. Brooke felt this but didn't say anything, as it would be somewhat awkward, and she knew it was Jayden's way of keeping her safe. It was somewhat endearing, and if the situation wasn't so _fucking weird_ , Brooke would've probably enjoyed it.

"I'm surprised," Deker directed the statement to Brooke, who quirked a brow, her eyes flashing. "You recovered far more quickly than I expected, even with a higher dose. They really did make you into the ideal soldier." He mused, and Brooke felt herself stiffen at the "ideal soldier" comment.

She knew it was true- that's the only reason Brooke was a shifter, but hearing Deker say it was unnerving. "That brings up the question- _why me?_ If you wanted to see me fall, you could've just let me die of the poison and call it a day." Brooke questioned, her eyes flashing and turning gold, them almost glowing in the firelight.

"Why are you doing all of this?" Jayden demanded, narrowing his eyes some. The ideal soldier comment made him more angry than anything, and he didn't know why. Still, he just shoved that into the basement of his mind and made the mental note to ask Brooke about it later. Now obviously wasn't the time.

Deker ignored Brooke's question and turned his attention to Jayden. The half-human was wearing an almost _menacing_ smile that made the two rangers' blood run cold. "I'm searching for the ultimate duel. The duel you two and I will have?" The question was mocking, and Deker motioned at the silver and red rangers and then himself for emphasis.

"I don't fight just to fight," Jayden spat, responding without missing a beat. "I fight to protect people." His voice was lower this time, but still unwavering. He subconsciously tightened his hold on Brooke's waist some, as if to emphasize the "to protect" part.

Deker noticed this but didn't say anything, only grinning inwardly. _So, the red ranger has a weakness._ "Hmph, we'll see," He then turned his attention towards Brooke. "What about you, silver ranger? I've seen your bloodlust- _the beast_ festering inside of you." He commented, and Brooke stiffened, her claws and canines growing in.

"I'm not a beast," Brooke retorted, but even she sounded unconvinced. Still, her resolve hardened, and so did her expression. "I don't get into useless battles for the hell of it." She tried to sound nonchalant, but there was a slight growl to her words.

"We're patient- my sword Uramasa and I," Deker pointed out, the sheathed sword sitting next to the half-human. "But eventually we will battle, I have quite the incentive to convince you." He stated matter-of-factly, and Jayden did _not_ like the way the half-human glanced at Brooke and then back to him. _That wasn't good at all._ "After all, I was once fully human, now the silver ranger and I aren't so different." Deker explained, and Brooke dug her clawed hands into the dirt.

There were so many things wrong with that statement, and Brooke could write an essay on how it was. "No," Brooke growled, speaking around her canines. "I'm not like you at all- I still have humanity left in me, you don't. I can see it in your eyes that you're just a damned soul in a human body, you've let your nighlok form consume you." She argued, and when Deker chuckled, it caught her off guard.

"I suppose you're right, all I know now is the constant craving for battle. The nighlok in me gives me no choice." Deker agreed, and Jayden let out what almost sounded like a growl- that was new.

Brooke's never seen him this angry before, and if it wasn't for the hold he had on her waist, she'd be terrified. Seeing the people she cared about angry scared her- and that was definitely due to trauma. However, she pushed those thoughts aside when another figure caught her eye, and she furrowed her brows some. It was Dayu, and the female nighlok just seemed to be watching, so Brooke let her be. No use starting _that_ battle if it wasn't needed. Brooke honestly pitied Dayu some, the female nighlok seemed more human than Deker at times.

"There's always a choice. You don't have to give in to the nighlok's cravings." Jayden argued, and Deker shook his head in disbelief.

"It's easy for you to say, you'd never have to fight against those cravings," Deker retorted, sounding more annoyed than angry. "What about you, silver ranger? The look on your face says you've been down the same path." He pointed out, and Brooke averted her gaze, curling her hands into fists.

"I'm not like you," Brooke mumbled, and she felt her claws dig into her hands. They drew blood, but she didn't care. It helped ground her because she _didn't_ want to prove Deker right. If it was just her and Deker, sure, she'd lose her shit, shift, and then work from there. But, Jayden was in the picture- and the silver ranger didn't want to make the red afraid of her. Plus, she wasn't like Deker. _She wasn't, right?_ Sure, Brooke was half-human like him, but she wasn't a _beast_ like Deker said, _right?_

 _Leave her out of this._ Jayden nearly spat, because Brooke was visibly upset, even if she tried not to show it. Her shoulders shook underneath her damp leather jacket and hoodie, and strands of wet black hair framed her face, which was somewhat pale.

"Doing the right thing," Jayden started, and Brooke had a feeling that this wasn't going to end well. Still, she let him continue and honestly wanted to see Jayden make Deker angry. "Is always worth the effort, and that's why I don't fight just to fight." He sounded somewhat proud of himself, and Brooke almost found it cute. Well, she did but shoved the thought aside as soon as it formed.

Deker slammed his hand down on the ground, and Brooke _barked_ out a warning, which was new, her bones making the familiar cracking sounds. "You two will give me the ultimate battle, whether you like it or not," Deker spat, and Brooke let out a low growl, Jayden tightening his grip around her waist. That caused the silver ranger to glance at the red, who shook his head faintly. "It's the only way I'll ever be free from this terrible curse." His anger then turned into mild frustration and despair, and Brooke forced herself to relax.

However, that didn't happen, and Brooke just tensed more when Deker picked up his sword. "You should be fully recovered by now." He explained, and Brooke and Jayden nodded at each other, the two rangers standing quickly.

Brooke's fingernails grew longer and sharper, and her upper lip curled around her canines. "Why do you want to fight us? There's plenty of warriors who would _gladly_ want to fight you." She argued, eyes gold.

"You say that but you're ready to start a fight, silver ranger," Deker mocked, motioning to Brooke's inhumane features. She just narrowed her eyes and let out a growl in response. "I've always wanted to fight against another half-human, and now I've got my chance. Especially since we were both forced into the roles of half-human we now play. I'm surprised you don't resent the Shiba Clan for what they did to you." He explained, and Brooke's shoulders shook while Jayden's eyes widened slightly.

"I've made my peace with the situation, it has nothing to do with him." Brooke spat. _That,_ she knew. She hated her mom- well, kind of hated, and Brooke didn't blame Jayden at all. They were just kids at the time, and he had no idea about what was going on at that time.

"Like me, you have a secret festering inside of you," Deker turned his attention to Jayden, who instantly froze. There's no way he knew, _right_? "We're both warped, twisted." The half-human stated, and Jayden's shock turned into anger.

The red ranger started walking forward, but the silver stopped him. Jayden shot Brooke an exasperated look, and she just mouthed "I get it", but shook her head. He knew she was right- but the urge to cut down Deker was growing stronger by the minute. Still, Jayden resisted that urge and narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?" He spat, blue eyes sparkling with fury.

"You'd sacrificed everything before giving Octoroo the sealing power. You'd sacrifice everything now if it meant making sure the silver ranger was unharmed." Deker stated matter-of-factly, and Brooke didn't even have time to react before Deker's sword was pressed to her throat.

 _Well, fuck,_ Brooke thought, her eyes widening and face paling slightly. Well, _this_ is what she didn't expect to happen, and she wasn't enjoying it. She could summon Amaris, but honestly wanted to see how this played out- and the silver ranger knew she couldn't rely on the white wolf for everything. Still, Deker's blade dug into her throat, blood dripping from the cut. Jayden noticed this and his eyes widened before they narrowed again, his shoulders shaking with anger.

"Don't touch her," Jayden growled, and his spin-sword appeared in a flash of red in his hand. He gripped the weapon so hard his knuckles turned white. When he made the move to swing, Deker pressed the blade deeper into Brooke's throat, her letting out a hiss of pain.

Still, Brooke came up with a game plan. In a flash of silver, her katanas appeared, and she drew one of the blades. She was shorter than Deker, even with her platform shoes, but she pointed the silver blade at his throat. The tip centimeters away, meaning if Brooke pushed forward, her sword was going through Deker's throat. And she doubted that a nighlok form could help with a sword impaled in your throat.

"A life for a life," Brooke grinned, and the stress made her brain tap out. It was only a matter of time before she wolfed out, and Brooke _really_ hoped that she didn't. "Or, if I can't kill you, I'm sure Red'll finish the job. Is this the _ultimate duel_ you wish to see?" She challenged, and Deker lowered his sword.

Brooke had never seen Jayden move that fast, the red ranger quickly moving to the silver's side and pushing her back some. He positioned himself so that he was standing in front of her protectively, and his chest heaved. The rage that mixed with fear was _immense,_ and Jayden tightened his grip on his spin-sword so tight it hurt. He wouldn't start a fight- but he was about to. He wasn't thinking straight, and he tried to get some sort of rational thought process before he did something he regretted.

"That's what I wanted to see," Deker chuckled as he glanced at the silver and red rangers. "There are spirits resting inside of you both that I haven't seen in other samurai. Warriors' spirits and that's why you two are the perfect opponents. What just happened proved it." He wrapped his hand around the hilt of his sword, turning into his nighlok form.

Gold eyes widened when Jayden settled into a fighting stance. Brooke instantly grabbed his arm, making sure not to accidentally rip the grey overcoat he was wearing with her claws. "Red, don't do this. He's trying to get into our heads- you know that." She chided, and Jayden's expression only hardened when drops of blood rolled down her neck from the cut, leaving trails of crimson.

 _He hurt you,_ Jayden thought, and the fist that was holding his spin-sword shook slightly. He didn't say anything, just averted his gaze from Brooke.

"Hold on! This isn't going to happen on my watch!" A voice exclaimed, and while Jayden lowered his spin-sword in confusion, Brooke lowered her katana in relief. She never thanked Antonio for his presence more. "Jayden, Brooke, you're both in no shape to fight." The gold ranger stated, and Jayden still kept a tight grip on his spin-sword.

Jayden wanted to end this here and now, especially as he watched Brooke wipe some of the blood away from her throat. But- that wasn't the way of the samurai or _something._ Jayden just knew he shouldn't, and he silently thanked Antonio for arriving. Still, he didn't trust Deker, and Jayden knew if the half-human made a move to hurt his other childhood friend, he _would_ set the cave ablaze. It was only a matter of impulse control and keeping his emotions in check, which was extremely difficult _._

"Out of the way, fisherman!" Deker demanded, and Antonio didn't budge, the gold ranger curling his gloved hands into fists.

"How do you want to duel them when they're like this, nighlok?!" Antonio argued, and Deker let out a growl, lowering his sword. "Me and my friends, we're walking out of here and you're gonna let us. You got it?" He made a walking motion with his fingers, and something about it made Brooke want to cry. _God bless Antonio Garcia._

"Go, But know this, red and silver rangers: the next time we meet, we will battle." Deker growled, and if glares could kill, Jayden would've killed him a while ago.

Brooke sheathed her blade, grabbing one of Jayden's hands and one of Antonio's. _"Amaris! Get us out of here!"_ She yelled, and in a flash of silver, the three rangers were gone.

* * *

The three landed in a field, Brooke stumbling some as her head spun. Both Jayden and Antonio tightened their grips on her hands in response, and Amaris looked up at the silver ranger, fluffy ears flicking. Brooke didn't feel bad, in actuality, but once the adrenaline dump happened, she knew she was going to cry. Deker said _too many_ things that hit home and set on edge, and she just wanted to go home and take a shower and a nap. But, that probably couldn't be done, so Brooke just admitted to the bitter reality. Being a power ranger _sucked._

"A wolf?" Antonio made a noise of surprise, eyes wide underneath his gold helmet. "I'm not surprised, but _teleporting?"_ He blurted, and Brooke smiled weakly when Amaris wagged her tail.

 _"Introductions can come later, ranger of light. Just know that I am on your side."_ Amaris reassured Antonio, violet eyes shining bright.

"Brooke," Jayden called, and Brooke turned to him, quirking a brow. "Let me see your neck." He urged, and Brooke let Jayden raise her chin slightly, ignoring the fact that her heartbeat just went into overdrive.

Antonio saw the blood and made a noise of concern and shock. "Did Deker do that?" He asked Jayden, who nodded and used his partially damp sleeve to wipe away some of the blood.

Brooke let out a hiss of pain at that, her eyes flashing multiple times. "Red- it'll be okay. It's only a minor setback," She reassured Jayden who dropped her chin, blue eyes sparkling with a mixture of guilt and worry. "Anyways, Goldie, why are you still morphed?" Brooke turned his attention to Antonio, motioning to the gold ranger suit.

"There's another nighlok," Antonio started, and both Brooke and Jayden shared a look of mutual annoyance. "The others are handling it, but they're still weak from what happened at the Tengen Gate. I need your guys' help if you are strong enough to fight." He explained, and without missing a beat, Jayden responded.

"I can, I'll go," Jayden replied, knowing that he had to do _something_ to get rid of his anger before he went back into that cave and fought Deker. A nighlok should be enough, and the battle will get his mind off what had just happened because his thoughts were overwhelming him.

Jayden knew that Deker wanted to fight Brooke for his own reasons. But he also knew the little stunt the half-human pulled back there was to get him to fight. It had worked, as the panic and rage that filled his system blocked out any rational thinking. Now, he didn't know what to do. He fought to _protect,_ and Deker just wanted a useless fight. _Right_. Jayden spied Brooke out of the corner of her eye. She was crouched down, petting Amaris, and something about the scene made Jayden's heart hurt. He would protect _her,_ but not by fighting Deker.

"Someone's gotta make sure you two don't kill yourselves on accident," Brooke joked, and Jayden and Antonio shared a look. "But, yeah, I'm good to fight. Amaris, can you take us there?" Her muscles throbbed and exhaustion was making her vision blur some, but she ignored it. Jayden wasn't thinking straight, and Brooke felt the need to make sure he didn't do something rash in battle.

 _"Of course, my dear. You two might want to morph first."_ Amaris advised, and both Jayden and Brooke nodded at each other, pulling out their samuraizers.

The silver and red rangers flipped the devices open, the silver ranger activating the brush portion on hers. _"Samuraizer: Go Go Samurai!"_ The two rangers yelled in sync, drawing their respective symbols. The silver kanji for wolf hung next to the red kanji for fire for a moment, the two rangers activating the symbols. The silver and red ranger suits appeared on Brooke's and Jayden's bodies respectively, the gold, silver, and red rangers nodding at each other.

"It's showtime then," Brooke announced, looking down at Amaris. "I'm sorry to be asking so much of you today." She apologized, and Amaris' tail brushed against Brooke's legs.

 _"This is my role, Brooke. I am happy to do the job I have been unable to do for ten generations. As long as you have symbol power, I will stay for as long as you need,"_ Amaris reassured Brooke, who nodded and smiled faintly underneath her silver helmet. _"Let us go then. Ianuae!"_ The white wolf called, her and the three rangers disappearing in a flash of silver.

* * *

In a flash of silver, the three rangers and white wolf appeared in front of their fallen teammates. Antonio threw something at the nighlok that caused the monster to be flown backwards, the creature landing on the ground with a snarl. "Hey guys, now we're all here!" Antonio greeted, and Amaris helped nudge the rangers up with her snout.

"Man, I've never been more grateful for a wolf in my life." Mike groaned as he got to his feet, and Amaris laughed, bouncing back to Brooke's side.

"Jayden! Brooke! You're okay!" Emily exclaimed, her voice full of relief, and Brooke nodded, trying to ignore the feeling of blood dripping down her neck underneath her ranger suit.

That wasn't good, but Amaris was here, and Brooke was grateful for that. "We are!" _Not._ " And fighting a battle without us, c'mon!" Brooke teased, but it was forced. The team, sans Antonio and Jayden, didn't notice it, the red and gold rangers sharing a look underneath their helmets. The silver ranger's faux playful mood dropped when the nighlok picked itself off the ground. "What the fuck is _that?"_ She blurted, pointing at the nighlok, and Amaris' fur bristled.

 _"Stay on your toes, I have not seen one this strong in many generations,"_ Amaris advised, looking like a white puffball more than anything. _"Xandred must have done something."_ She mused, and the seven samurai rangers tensed.

Still, Antonio was the first one to break the tense mood. The nighlok summoned moogers with a snarl, and the gold ranger let out a mocking laugh. "Haha, sorry, I don't speak snarl." He mocked, and Brooke laughed faintly.

 _"He is interesting- I can see why you have an attachment to him, my dear,"_ Amaris called to Brooke, this time so only the silver ranger could hear.

 _"Sparkly ranger union."_ Brooke thought back, grinning underneath her silver helmet as she watched Antonio. Amaris only laughed, violet eyes sparkling with amusement.

Antonio was the golden part of this whole ordeal- pun intended. Speaking of, when the moogers started rushing the team, the gold ranger slid a disk onto his barracuda blade. "Allow me to introduce myself! I am," He started as he moved swiftly, cutting down moogers in blurs of gold and blue. " _Antonio Garcia_ , the gold ranger!" He exclaimed proudly as the moogers exploded, sheathing his blade. He then pulled out the pink, yellow, green, and blue power disks, handing them to each respective ranger. "Hey guys I didn't have time to finish the black box, but I promise to try again. Here, have your disks back."

"Are you sure you're well enough to fight?" Jayden asked, his voice laced with worry as he glanced at Brooke underneath his helmet. "Deker _did_ hurt you." That thought alone made his temper flare, and he set his jaw as the four rangers slid their zord disks into their spin-swords.

"It's just a minor setback," Brooke replied, sounding nonchalant as the others fired off a quintuple slash. "Let's just get through this!" She urged as she broke off into a sprint, Amaris beside her. The silver ranger drew her wolf kunai, slashing at the nighlok. She grit her teeth, stumbling back from the knockback of one of the nighlok's pincers blocked the slash.

 _"Spin-sword: Fire Smasher!"_ Jayden yelled, swinging the heavy weapon around, and attacking the nighlok. It turned back into his spin-sword in a flash of red when the nighlok blocked it, and Jayden set his jaw. Well, that could be dealt with. "This is gotten a lot tougher, I've got to backpedal!" He stated the obvious, and the silver ranger resisted the urge to laugh as the red flew through the air.

It might be the stress, but Brooke found it funny, and she sheathed her kunai and shifted. The brown wolf bounced alongside the white, Amaris creating a shield in front of Jayden as Brooke shifted back. She drew her katanas, blocking one of the nighlok's pincers with one sword and attacking with another. Still, the nighlok hit her, and Brooke flew backwards some, her head colliding with the inside of her helmet when she hit the ground. Everything went fuzzy for a moment, and soon, Jayden was next to her, Amaris becoming translucent as she put up another shield.

 _"I have to go, my dear. Save your symbol power."_ Amaris advised, and Brooke didn't have time to respond before the white wolf disappeared in a flash of silver.

"We're all too exhausted to put up much of a fight." Mia pointed out as Jayden helped Brooke to her feet, the silver ranger stumbling some.

"I- I can go for a bit longer," Brooke regained her composure, sheathing her katanas and drawing her Wolf Kunai. She hadn't gotten the headache that was signaling that she was low on symbol power yet, but by the way the rest of the team was acting, they were. So, Brooke spun the wolf disk on her kunai, the leaf-shaped blade lighting up silver. _"Lone Wolf!"_

The silver attack barely made a dent, the nighlok letting out a snarl in response, and the rest of the team glanced at the silver ranger worriedly."Brooke, aren't you low on symbol power?" Emily asked worriedly as Brooke spun the wolf disk again.

"This is what I'm made for, Em," _The ideal soldier._ "Damn it!" Brooke cursed when the second attack barely made a dent as well. She went to go spin the wolf disk for the third time, but Jayden stopped her by placing a hand on her arm. The silver ranger shot the red a glare underneath her helmet, the red ranger just shaking his head.

"I'm not letting you destroy yourself, you're weakened, shifter or not." Jayden chided, and Brooke felt somewhat aggravated by that. But it was also endearing, in a way.

"Combining all of our strength should do the trick!" Kevin offered, his chest heaving.

Mike nodded weakly. "Yeah, but we need something that doesn't use a tone of symbol power!" He commented, and Jayden instantly perked up, glancing at his team.

"Quintuple Slash?" Jayden asked, and they all slid their zord disks onto their spin-swords in silent agreement. The five original rangers, plus Brooke, spun their zord disks, the blades of their weapons lighting up their respective colors.

_"Spin-sword: Quintuple Slash!"_

_"Wolf Kunai: Full Pack!"_

The six attacks hit the nighlok, sending the monster hurtling backwards some. But, it still didn't do much, as the monster picked itself off the ground with a snarl. The team made noises of shock mixed with annoyance, but the gold ranger ran up to the six others.

"Do it again!" Antonio commanded as he skidded to a stop in front of the team. "This time, I'll help it on its way!" He explained, and Brooke instantly froze, her eyes widening.

"Goldie, are you _dense?_ We'll hit you!" Brooke argued, her voice laced with exhaustion and concern. Antonio squeezed her shoulder comfortingly in response and ran towards the nighlok. _This is not going to be how the sparkly ranger union is ending,_ Brooke thought, rooting her booted feet to the ground. She was scared- because the nighlok was stronger than any she's fought before, and she didn't want to hit Antonio.

Jayden seemed to hold the same worry. "I hope you know what you're doing!" The red ranger called to the gold, the team raising their weapons and spinning their zord disks again.

_"Spin-sword: Quintuple Slash!"_

_"Wolf Kunai: Full Pack!"_ Brooke's voice cracked as she yelled out the attack, and she squeezed her eyes shut when she slashed with her kunai.

Luckily, Antonio was unharmed, and he seemed to spin around with the six attacks, powering them up and firing off his own. The seven attacks hit the nighlok and sent it flying backwards, but it still wasn't enough. The nighlok just picked itself off of the ground and started running away. Brooke let out a noise of frustration, switching out the wolf disk for the moon disk.

"Brooke-" Mia's concerned call was cut off by Brooke spinning the moon disk, the blade of the Wolf Kunai lighting up purple.

 _"Crescent Slash!"_ Brooke screamed, slashing with her kunai, and it hit the nighlok, but it still wasn't defeated. "I swear to god- I'm going to kill that fuckin' thing!" She growled, and before she could run after it, Jayden and Antonio grabbed her arms.

"You've done enough, Brooke," Jayden advised, and Brooke let out a low growl, feeling the blood drip from her nose down her face. The bleeding on her neck seemed to stop, so that was a good thing at least.

 _The ideal soldier._ Deker's words echoed in Brooke's mind, and she knew she shouldn't be working herself this hard. She just felt like she had _something to prove-_ but she didn't know what, yet. _That was the concerning part._ However, those thoughts escaped her when the cracks between the buildings started glowing, Brooke just accepting it. Today was never going to end, it seemed like.

"Time to go mega!" Jayden commanded as giant moogers came from the cracks, the red ranger pulling out his lion zord.

The team followed suit, the seven rangers pulling out their zords and going into megamode power. The original five formed the samurai megazord, while the silver and gold rangers formed the wolf armor claw megazord. When Brooke entered the cockpit, she instantly stumbled, holding onto the control panel to keep balance. Antonio also helped her, placing a comforting hand on her back.

"I- I'm not doing too good, Goldie," Brooke confessed with a weak voice, swallowing down bile. She was quiet, making sure the other rangers didn't hear her through the comms because Jayden was already stressed out enough. She didn't want to bother him- so, she turned to her other childhood friend.

"I know. Take it easy, alright? Don't overdo it," Antonio urged, and Brooke nodded, standing up straight again. The silver and gold rangers steeled their resolves, Antonio raising his voice so that it could be heard over the comms. "I have a theory about these guys! A big-bang theory!" He exclaimed, and Brooke rolled her eyes playfully. It was Antonio's way of making her feel better.

"Guys! Incoming!" Mike warned as giant moogers launched volleys of arrows at the two megazords. The giant robots moved out of the way quickly, dodging the arrows.

"You go take care of Arachnotor, Brooke and I will handle these guys without breaking a sweat!" Antonio called through the comms, and Jayden set his jaw. The irrational jealousy resurfaced, and now really wasn't the time.

"Hold up!" Mike blurted, pointing to flying moogers that had just appeared from the cracks between buildings. "Man, they're not kidding around today!" He exclaimed, and Brooke lightly tapped Antonio's helmet, getting his attention.

"Can you handle the megazord by yourself?" Brooke asked worriedly, summoning the tiger disk. The white disk appeared in the silver ranger's hand in a flash of silver. "Worst-case scenario, I'll just give the disk to Red." She added, and Antonio smiled faintly under his helmet.

The gold ranger patted the silver on the shoulder. "It's all good. Don't strain yourself." Antonio advised, and Brooke gave him a thumbs up.

 _"Airstrike Combination!"_ Brooke called as she appeared next to Jayden, folding up her megablade and sticking it into the control panel. She felt her nose bleed at the excessive use of symbol power, but it was fine. It could be dealt with. _"Samurai Battlewing: Armed for Battle!"_

With the help of Antonio, the flying and giant moogers were dealt with, the seven rangers demorphed and on the ground again. Brooke went to go quickly wipe away the blood from her nose, but Emily still caught onto it, the younger girl's eyes widening.

"Brooke! You're hurt!" Emily blurted in worry, and Brooke looked down at the front of her hoodie. The neck was a dark crimson, the grey of the hoodie mixing with the blood.

"Shit, Brooke. That looks bad- what happened?" Mike asked, and Brooke let out a heavy sigh.

 _"Deker_ happened," Brooke replied, sounding more exhausted than anything. "It'll be okay- let's just go home." She reassured the team, who all glanced at Jayden. The red ranger was unusually quiet, and they noticed his hands were curled into fists.

* * *

After taking a shower and getting dressed, Brooke gripped the edge of the sink in her bathroom with a vice-like grip. The words Deker said echoed in her head, and they caused self-doubts and insecurities to rear their ugly heads. _Was she like Deker?_ Is that what others saw her as- just a _wolf?_ She tried to push them aside, but it was the only thing she could think about. She had tried so _hard_ to be human, to fit in, and if the others didn't view her as _Brooke,_ it would all be for naught. That scared her. The fact that the first thing that came to her mind was how she wanted to fight Deker scared her. Brooke wasn't like Jayden- she didn't hold samurai morals like he did, and today made her wonder if she should. She wouldn't go out and _kill_ anyone, but Deker was an annoyance and a threat.

The half-human could easily start moving to civilians, and it would be _far worse_ than a nighlok. Deker was stronger than any nighlok Brooke had fought- and it was terrifying. The lack of power she had in this situation left her scared and frustrated. She knew that she _shouldn't_ be wanting to fight Deker, as that was against the way of the samurai. But it wasn't like Brooke could be a _true_ samurai anyways- she could never be. She wasn't human, and it was more of a curse than a blessing at this point. She wanted to be _human._ She wanted to be _safe._ Brooke wanted to live without the constant fear of the ones she cared about dying, she wanted to live where she could feel extreme emotions and not turn into a _beast._ It was all wants and wishes that could never be fulfilled, no matter how hard Brooke fought.

"They're just weaknesses," Brooke spoke aloud, wiping away the tears that fell. She was a _soldier. And soldiers don't have time to make pathetic wishes._ She took a deep breath and regained her composure, washing her face to help look like she wasn't on the verge of a mental breakdown.

When she lifted her head, she was surprised to find herself with a sinister grin on her face, gold eyes shining bright. Upon seeing it, Brooke resisted the urge to punch the glass, because _that wasn't her._ She wasn't like Deker at all. She was _human,_ well, at least as human as she could be. Speaking of humans, the rest of the team, sans Jayden, was out doing something or another, and Brooke knew that the red ranger was probably in the same mental state she was. So, she decided to go find him, to offer support if he wanted it.

Meanwhile, Jayden sat on one of the concrete benches that the outdoor dojo offered. His head pounded with a tension headache mixed with exhaustion, and the ibuprofen didn't help- all they did was make him feel nauseous. So, he wasn't doing great, and he set his jaw and Deker's voice rang through his head. The image of Brooke having Deker's sword pressed to her throat also flashed through Jayden's mind, and he made a quiet noise of frustration. That was one of the last things he wanted to happen- because he saw the _fear_ that flickered across Brooke's face when Deker pulled that move. And Jayden knew it was to get _him_ angry, so he wanted to fight. It had worked- and Jayden knew that it was a bad thing, that having such an obvious weakness was bad.

So, Jayden made up his mind. Or so he thought. "Heya, Red." Brooke greeted softly, and Jayden turned his head so he could see her. He knew he should be telling her to get away from him- that he didn't want her around. But that plan flew out the window when Brooke flashed him a small and gentle smile. She was _wearing his hoodie,_ and Jayden knew that him getting happy off of that one fact alone was worrying. Still, he couldn't stop it- and he didn't necessarily _want_ to stop it.

"Hey, Brooke. Are you doing alright?" Jayden asked, his voice carrying the same tone Brooke's held- soft and gentle. Brooke nodded, motioning to the empty seat next to him.

"You want someone around?" Brooke asked Jayden, who nodded. When he did, she sat next to him, drawing her knees to her chest. "It's gotten kinda fucked, hasn't it?" She thought aloud, and Jayden laughed faintly.

"It's gotten chaotic." Jayden agreed, and Brooke grabbed his hand, smiling genuinely.

"Hey, at least we're not alone. It might be fucked, but we have each other." Brooke stated, her cheeks dusting pink, and Jayden smiled fondly.

 _We have each other._ The words rang through Jayden's head, even as he spied the gold and black bracelet on Brooke's wrist. "Is that Antonio's?" He motioned to the bracelet, and the irrational jealousy resurfaced as Brooke nodded.

"Yeah, I'm surprised you just noticed it now," Brooke teased, noticing Jayden's change in demeanor. He was _jealous,_ and it was cute. "I have your hoodie and Goldie's bracelet. It's just an "emotional attachment to the things my childhood friends give me" kinda day." She joked, and Jayden rolled his eyes playfully.

"You're really something." Jayden murmured, squeezing Brooke's hand lightly. She returned it and hummed in response, and the pair sat in comfortable silence for a couple of minutes.

That was until Brooke dropped Jayden's hand, and before he could ask _why,_ he heard the footsteps of the team growing closer. The silver and red rangers turned some so they were facing the five other rangers."Uh, this a bad time?" Emily wondered, and both Brooke and Jayden shook their heads.

"Oh, uh, no. What's up?" Jayden replied, knowing damn well that he just wanted to stay with Brooke. Still, five others were living with him- and at times like these, Jayden found it somewhat as a curse. He noticed that anytime he was starting to feel at peace with Brooke around, something happened. And he didn't know if his father was trying to stop his son's feelings for the daughter of the woman who he hated, or just bad luck. Jayden was sure that it was just bad luck, but you never know.

"First, we wanted to make sure you both are okay, after all that you've been through." Mia started, and Mike closed the pizza box he was peeking into, breaking the somewhat quiet atmosphere.

"And we're going to chow down on some pizza," Mike stated, the green ranger breaking the tension. "And think of some new battle strategies on how to deal with these new powerful nighlok." He added quickly, noticing the unwavering stare from Jayden.

Brooke laughed faintly, rising from her seat. "Sounds like a nice war council," She joked, and the rest of the team noticed the way the red hoodie was a _little_ too big for her. "What's with you guys?" She questioned, her eyes flashing as she noticed the small smiles of Emily and Mia's faces.

"It's nothing," Emily replied with her usual cheerful smile, and Brooke furrowed her brows but didn't press. "Jayden?" The yellow ranger asked the red, who shook his head.

"Thanks, guys, but I'm doing fine. But, why don't you go ahead without me." Jayden answered, and he noticed the faint disappointment flickering across Brooke's expression. It was barely noticeable, but still there.

Still, it was replaced with a grin and a playful punch to Jayden's shoulder. "Alrighty, Red. Your choice, just don't stay out here brooding to death." Brooke teased and wondered if staying with him would be too much. It probably would be, and she just walked beside Antonio, keeping the happy façade up. She heard Jayden muttering to himself, and after a couple of moments, he seemed to come to a conclusion.

"You guys," Jayden rose from his seat quickly, and Brooke and Antonio shared a look and raised their eyebrows at their childhood friend. He had a small smile on his face, and it seemed to be _genuine_. "I changed my mind, I will join you." He explained as he jogged over to the six other rangers.

While the others headed inside, Antonio stopped on the steps, looking down at his two childhood friends. The stairs gave him a noticeable height difference, Brooke looking even shorter, as Jayden's hoodie smothered her somewhat and she didn't have her platform shoes on. "It's good to have you two back," Antonio stated happily, and both Brooke and Jayden smiled.

"Thanks, we might not have been back at all if it wasn't for you." Jayden thanked, and he and Brooke walked up the steps, the silver ranger just having a happy smile on her face. _She wanted things to stay like this._

"Well, I do have my golden moments," Antonio responded with a glimmer in his eyes and a grin, and Brooke rolled her eyes. Jayden and she had the same idea, the red and silver rangers lightly pushing the gold through the doorway.

"You two are horrible," Brooke commented with a grin. "But seriously, thanks, Goldie- agh, I take that back." She huffed, puffing out her cheeks some as Antonio ruffled her hair.

Jayden noticed the leather cuff on Antonio's wrist but didn't ask, only shoving down the jealousy. It was all fine- it could be dealt with, _at some other time._ It was still the three of them, and the three rangers walked into the meeting room.

Mike instantly pointed the pizza crust he was trying to put in Kevin's drink at Brooke, who stopped in her tracks and raised an eyebrow. "Didn't know you liked the color red, Brooke." He commented, planning to make Brooke flustered, but she just shrugged her shoulders with a grin. Mike seemed to be caught off guard, him blinking owlishly at Brooke's nonchalant response.

"It's a good color," Brooke responded, taking her usual seat, Antonio and Jayden sitting on either side of her. While _she_ wasn't flustered, Jayden was, and he could feel the heat coating the tips of his ears.

God, Brooke Wolfe was going to be the death of him- figuratively, of course. Jayden nudged Brooke, who just winked and him as she bit into a piece of pizza, and he rolled his eyes playfully, cheeks aflame. The rest of the "meeting" went on, and he found himself watching Brooke out of the corner of his eye, her smiling and laughing. She looked happy, and it was an expression Jayden made a vow to protect.


	19. coincidentally, this isn't real

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jayden tries to convince himself he doesn't need Brooke around, which is a complete and total lie. He realizes he's in too deep when he enters her dreams. The Deker hate club is formed.

Jayden couldn't shake the feeling of worry he felt. He and Brooke had settled back into their normal routines quickly, as a sense to regain a semblance of normalcy, but it was all for naught. For Jayden, anyway. He didn't actually know how Brooke was doing- she just seemed to be waking up later and looking more and more tired each passing day. The cut Deker made to her neck had almost healed, but every time Jayden saw it he felt either guilt or anger. Sometimes it was a mix of both, but he tried not to let it show- just shutting away his thoughts. Still, there were times when he _couldn't_ shut them away, such as now.

The words Deker said to him, about knowing his _secret-_ which Jayden didn't even know was true or not, echoed in his head. _That damned secret._ It caused him more stress, annoyance, and guilt than Jayden would like. He honestly wondered if it was doing more harm than good- as he only got letters from Lauren rarely, and they were just about her training. Of course, it's not like Jayden had other things to write about, sometimes he wrote about the team. Lauren had found it amusing that Mia was a bad cook and wrote back _"It's probably better than what I'm eating here"_ accompanied by a small smiley face that made Jayden happy. He didn't know why, but it just did, and every time he got a letter from Lauren, he realized how much he missed his older sister. He just wished there could somehow be two red rangers or something so that he could have his sister and his team. A happy balance, and an even number of rangers.

Jayden had written about Deker in his most recent letter- which he had written last night when he couldn't sleep. He needed a third-party to look at the situation and to tell him what to do because Jayden was drawing blanks. And while the team was nice, they weren't the best at dealing with things like that. He had also brought up Brooke- for the first time, as he was somewhat nervous about Lauren's reaction to the silver ranger, due to what her mother did. He had written about how she was wrapped up with him in all of this, and nothing more.

The image of the half-human's sword to Brooke's throat, and the fact that _it scared him,_ was something that Jayden kept to himself _._ Deker was getting to his head too much, and Jayden knew it, but he couldn't stop it. He wanted to talk to Brooke but was making a very poor attempt to avoid talking to her. He didn't want her getting hurt because of _him-_ and that meant keeping Brooke away from him, but Jayden _couldn't._ Physically, as they lived in the same house and he could only do so much without coming across as a jackass. Mentally, because Jayden couldn't muster up the courage to tell Brooke that he didn't want her around. It was a complete and total _lie-_ and while Jayden was pretty decent at lying, as he's been doing it to the team for months on end, he couldn't.

He also knew if he did something to upset the silver ranger, the five others would pick up on it quickly. Brooke and Jayden were always close, whether it be in their routines or battle, and if that just _stopped,_ it would mean something was wrong. At least, Jayden was trying to convince himself that it was for the team, and it was totally _not_ for a selfish reason. It was easier to live in denial than to face that mess of emotions. It's what he's been doing for months on end, after all. Jayden found out that he was somewhat decent at stuffing down emotions.

Plus, he was a _leader._ Typically, leaders don't get crushes on teammates. Especially a teammate that had to undergo blood experimentation led by his father. Jayden had figured that out by asking Ji, as he didn't want to make Brooke upset, because she always seemed to shut off somewhat when someone mentioned things regarding her past. Nobody blamed her- Jayden didn't blame her. He would do the same thing if the roles were reversed. He made the mental note to actually talk to Brooke about it, though, because while Jayden knew that she wasn't one to hold grudges, she could easily just be faking her nonchalant attitude.

 _There I go,_ Jayden thought, stopping himself from going into a more downward spiral of worrying about Brooke. He just pushed all thoughts of her out of his head for the moment- with a half-assed _I don't need her around._ The whole thing left him frustrated, and he fought back a tension headache that was starting to form.

"Dude," Mike called, and his voice snapped Jayden out of his thoughts. "You just stopped. It was like you were a million miles away. You okay?" He pointed out, and Jayden let out a quiet sigh.

He had forgotten he was even training. "It's nothing," Jayden replied, his voice more monotone than he meant for it to be. Still, it got the point across.

"I think being kidnapped by Deker has really gotten to you," Kevin concluded, and Jayden just didn't react, trying to will away that series of thoughts.

Of course, it did. He had gotten poisoned, and watched one of the people he cared about most also get poisoned, plus nearly drown due to said poison, and almost get her throat slit. So, Jayden's nightmares were having a field day with _that_ in his mind. He had almost become used to the other ones, and then Deker happened, which gave his subconscious enough to create scenarios that he could only _watch._ So, yes, it did get to Jayden. More than he would like.

"You can talk to us Jayden. We're here for you." Emily offered, and Jayden _knew_ that.

Would he ever? Probably not, as there was a level of formality Jayden had with the four other original rangers. Brooke and Antonio were a different case, but they were both busy with the cage symbol and the black box respectively. Plus, every time he had tried to go to Brooke after one of his nightmares, Jayden couldn't muster up the courage. So, that just left him stuck with his thoughts. Which was something he's used to, but it's not enjoyable in the slightest.

"Hey, guys!" Mia greeted, walking out of the Shiba House with a cloth shopping bag slung on her shoulder.

"Have you finally decided to join us for practice?" Kevin joked, and Mia shook her head with a somewhat guilty look on her face.

"No, I told Mentor that I was cooking dinner tonight," Mia stated happily, and Jayden set his jaw.

 _Christ,_ Jayden thought, taking one of Brooke's usual words. He was not prepared for a second batch of poison, nor did he _want_ to eat it. The three other rangers that were training with him seemed to have the same thought process. They all tensed somewhat, Emily forcing an enthusiastic smile.

"Oh no," Kevin muttered, then forcing an excited attitude. "What's the special occasion?" He asked through clenched teeth, a fake smile on his face.

"Both Antonio and Brooke have been working really hard, and I want to do something special for them!" Mia answered with a warm smile, and when she walked away, the rangers dropped their forced enthusiasm.

Jayden then concluded that training wasn't going to help him clear his head. So, he just placed his training sword back into the rack and walked into the Shiba House. It was surprisingly quiet and had been for a while, and Jayden quirked a brow at Ji. "Is everything alright?" He asked, noticing his mentor had the black box in his hand.

"Goldie, you don't have to give me special treatment _,"_ Jayden heard Brooke state, and he furrowed his brows at that out of context statement. Irrational jealousy surfaced, _yet again_ , and Jayden let out a heavy sigh. That was something he needed to work on. "I'm fine," Brooke stated, and Jayden walked into the indoor dojo.

"Brooke, you nearly passed out," Antonio argued, and Brooke's eyes flashed.

"So did you- heya, Red," Brooke cut herself off, and Jayden jumped in surprise slightly. She was still facing Antonio but spun on her heel to face Jayden. "Everything okay? You're radiating stress again." She commented, and Jayden let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose.

While he wanted to confide in Brooke, Jayden knew he _shouldn't._ Still, he couldn't just _ignore her._ "Deker," It was a one-word response that caused an unreadable expression to cross Brooke's face. "Anyways, what's this about passing out?" He asked, raising his brows at the silver and gold rangers.

"Symbol power, per usual," Brooke answered, running a clawed hand over her face. "Goldie's in the same boat right now." She added, gesturing to Antonio with her thumb.

He looked somewhat stressed, and Jayden realized that they were all in similar states. The three childhood friends were all tired and stressed, which was _vastly_ different from when they were kids. It was depressing, in a sense. "Also, Mia's making a special dinner for you two," Jayden added, trying to switch the conversation to a lighter topic.

Antonio visibly cringed. "I'll see if I can catch something, but," He started, and Jayden and Brooke shared a confused glance. "You two are coming with me." He declared, pointing at the silver and red rangers, and Brooke had a small smile on her face.

"Sounds enjoyable," Brooke agreed and then turned her attention to Jayden. "C'mon, Red, don't be a buzzkill here. We could all use the break, it's not like we've been slacking off the past couple of days." She urged, and Jayden knew he probably should say no. But, he _couldn't._

"Why not." Jayden agreed, and the corners of his lips twitched. A part of his brain yelled at him to back out, to focus on his training, and ignore Brooke and Antonio. However, he didn't have the heart to do that, and Jayden didn't feel jealous when it was the three of them. Plus, they could keep themselves safe, they weren't ten anymore. He realized that he always wanted his childhood friends by his side, no matter what the world threw at him.

* * *

"Y'know, Goldie, I never would've expected that someone as energetic as you would enjoy fishing," Brooke stated, looking up from the fishing spool she was messing with, turning her attention Antonio. She was seated on the dock, in between Jayden and Antonio's legs, the two sitting on a bench. It was close enough to the end of the dock so that Antonio could cast his line and fish, and that's what he did.

"Runs in the family," Antonio replied with a small smile, and Brooke felt some of the stress she felt disperse at the smell of the ocean.

She was worried- about a lot of things. Jayden is the first, as Brooke noticed he was acting distant, and it _hurt_ somewhat. It was understandable, but she felt somewhat worried about going to him, as he just radiated somewhat of a weird vibe. It was a vibe saying that he didn't want her around, but he was _still around._ Jayden wasn't easy to understand, and Brooke wanted to understand him. To figure out why he was acting prickly, other than the fact Deker probably got to his head. She didn't blame him.

Deker's words caused self-doubts to form in Brooke's head, and she let out a heavy sigh as she set down the fishing spool. "I'm not like Deker, am I?" She thought aloud, and both Antonio and Jayden stopped their light conversation.

"Not at all, Brooke. He's just trying to get under your skin." Jayden answered quickly, something akin to guilt in his tone.

"Jay's right," Antonio agreed, nodding. "You're more human than he could ever be." He reassured Brooke, who turned her gaze to the horizon.

"I don't know. I mean- I wish I was human," Brooke blurted, looking down at her clawed hands. "I get that me being a shifter is important, and for the fate of the world, but… I just wish sometimes, y'know? I know it's selfish, but, I just- this is exhausting." She confessed, and her voice cracked, which she _didn't_ want to happen. She had meant to keep her emotions locked away, but it was difficult. And while Amaris did offer reassurance, Brooke wanted it from some of the people she cared about most.

It was all selfishness, and Brooke knew she _shouldn't_ be doing this. She should just be stuffing down her emotions because they didn't involve the cage symbol or the fate of the world. But, no matter how hard she tried, she _couldn't._ It left her talking to herself in the middle of the night, sitting on the bathroom floor, and hyperventilating. It left her weak- which was something Brooke didn't want to be. It was a weakness, and those got you killed in battle. So, she shouldn't have them, but, it's not like she could just _stop._ She wished she could stop overthinking, go back to the Brooke she was before she tried to uncover all of her family's secrets. Fun Brooke, the Brooke who didn't have so many nightmares. She wanted to feel _normal_ _again._

"Hey, what's going through your head?" Antonio questioned, noticing the silent tears that were rolling down Brooke's cheeks. "If you want to talk about it, we're here." He reminded Brooke, who nodded weakly and let out a shaky sigh.

"I'm sorry- I just haven't been right for a while. I haven't felt myself, and it's one fucking thing after another. It seems like every time I try to climb out of this rut, I get flung back into it. Every damn time," Brooke muttered, squeezing her eyes shut and trying to stop her tears with willpower alone. It didn't work, and she just bit back a sob. "I'm sorry, this is stupid. You two shouldn't have to deal with this." She apologized, and Jayden frowned.

"Hey, don't apologize," Jayden chided, his voice gentle. "I don't think any of us here are feeling ourselves at the moment. You didn't have to apologize, nobody blames you." He reassured Brooke, who held out a shaky hand, and he took it, rubbing small circles into the back of her hand with his thumb.

"We're all stressed at the moment," Antonio agreed, leaning back on his hands. "Wanted to go fishing to clear my head, honestly. I could tell you two needed it as well." He added, shooting Jayden a knowing look, who let out a sigh.

Jayden nodded and tightened his grip on Brooke's hand. "Deker knew what to say, and what _to do_ , to get into our heads. He's just nerve-racking." He admitted, and Brooke sniffled.

"Fuck Deker. All my homies hate Deker." Brooke declared, and Jayden raised his eyebrows. She was trying to joke, and he knew that, and it was somewhat comforting.

Antonio laughed faintly. "Well, you're not exactly wrong." He agreed, and Brooke let out a watery laugh.

"Deker hate-club," Brooke murmured, and Jayden rolled his eyes playfully, feeling the corners of his lips twitch. "Anyways, to a lighter topic, I _do not_ want to eat Mia's cooking tonight. I think I just might leave if she makes something." She changed the subject, moving her seat to the bench. She was in between Jayden and Antonio, per usual, and her two childhood friends were just comforting to be around. She felt safe with them.

"Me too," Jayden replied, grimacing slightly. A round two of poison, Brooke's third, was _not_ ideal. "Do you think you can catch enough for dinner?" He asked Antonio, who had a worried look on his face.

"They're not exactly biting at the moment," Antonio answered, and Jayden cringed slightly. That wasn't good at all, and slight worry radiated off of the three rangers.

Brooke leaned her head against Jayden's shoulder, and he let her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "If it comes down to it, I'll take you both out to eat somewhere. You both deserve it, for dealing with me." She stated, and Jayden ran a hand through her hair.

"It's not dealing with you if we want to be here, Brooke." Jayden reminded Brooke, who let out a yawn.

"Still, I've been a mess. It's the least I can do, and we don't have to go somewhere fancy," Brooke argued, and Jayden and Antonio shared a smile. The three hadn't ever done anything together, besides training, fighting nighlok, and now fishing. It would be a nice change of pace. "We stay in Panorama, I'm sure they have something decent here. And, hopefully, the nighlok will show up around, like, midday. So, that means we can actually enjoy ourselves for once." She murmured, closing her eyes. She had been feeling more and more tired recently, and Brooke knew it was from her worsening mental state and lack of sleep. Jayden was warm, and that plus sounds of the water hitting the dock were lulling her to sleep.

"Sounds like fun." Antonio agreed, and Brooke let out a quiet cheer, and Jayden nodded in agreement.

The part of his brain that told him to say no got drowned out by the sheer happiness of actually being _normal_ with his two friends. It wasn't a date- but Jayden felt a certain happiness about it. He had only gotten out to eat when he was younger a handful of times, and he had an almost childish glee. Feeling Brooke fall asleep on his shoulder, which didn't take long, also made him happy. He silently thanked Antonio for offering this idea.

After a couple of minutes of comfortable silence, Jayden spoke again. "Something in my head is telling me to withdraw myself." He confessed, looking down at Brooke sleeping on his shoulder, and then Antonio. The gold ranger had an eyebrow raised, a small grin on his lips.

"Well, you're not doing a very good job," Antonio teased, and Jayden rolled his eyes and shot his friend a playful glare. "Is it because of what Deker did?" Antonio made a motion of cutting his own neck, and Jayden nodded, letting out a sigh and furrowing his brows.

"Deker did that to get a reaction out of me, and I know it. And it worked," Jayden recalled the anger he felt, the way he was ready to attack without thinking. "I feel guilty, even though I know Brooke won't hold it against me. She never holds it against me," He muttered, and it was honestly a blessing and a curse. While he didn't want to see Brooke angry at him, Jayden also wanted a reason to feel guilty. "I don't want anyone getting hurt because of me."

"Getting hurt is a part of the job, Jayden. You know that" Antonio reminded Jayden, who muttered "I know" under his breath. "Still, I understand. I noticed that you've been quieter today around the team." He pointed out, and Jayden let out a weak laugh.

"It seems like I can't hide anything from you two," _Besides my obvious feelings for Brooke._ "But, you know how the team gets. They get it, but they don't, and while I care about them, it's not on the same level as it is with you and Brooke. You two just understand me better." Jayden stated, turning his gaze to the horizon. He felt Brooke stir some, and then instantly go back to sleep, her fluffy black hair tickling Jayden's neck. Not that he minded, the smell of coffee and cinnamon was comforting. _She_ was comforting.

Antonio turned his attention back to his golden fishing rod, letting out a sigh at the fact fish were refusing to bite. "We all know why that's the case," He joked, and Jayden rolled his eyes, lightly shoving Antonio. "We're always here to listen, Jayden. Don't go into "leader mode" around us, okay?" Antonio urged, and Jayden quirked a brow.

"Leader mode? What does that-" Jayden echoed, but was cut off by Brooke's samuraizer beeping, the silver ranger letting out a groan of frustration.

"I want a nap," Brooke grumbled as she lifted her head from Jayden's shoulder. Digging her samuraizer out of the pocket of _her_ leather jacket- it was grey, she flipped it open. "It's not far from here. Let's go."

* * *

The three childhood friends nodded at each other, Jayden removing his arm from around Brooke's shoulders. The red, silver, and gold rangers rose from the bench, sprinting down the dock with looks of determination on their faces.

Brooke, Jayden, and Antonio skidded to a stop when they reached the scene, eyes widening at the sheer _amount_ of people that were asleep. Heads were resting on tables, snores coming out of multiple people's mouths, and the civilians that didn't get hit were screaming and running away.

"Red, Goldie, there's the big baddie of the day," Brooke called, pointing to the nighlok, who was half maroon and half green and black. It looked like a rhinoceros, with some sort of blaster at the end of its arm. "And Dayu." She muttered, noticing the female nighlok, and the blonde man in his grip. The nighlok fired some sort of gas out of its arm, aiming for Dayu, but she was quick, holding the man in front of her. The gas hit him and caused him to fall asleep, and Brooke narrowed her eyes. She wanted a nap, but _not like this._

"Let's go," Jayden commanded, and the three morphed into their suits, Brooke also shifting. The red ranger and brown wolf lunged at the nighlok, landing two attacks and regrouping with the rest of the team, which had arrived.

"The samurai rangers?" The rino-nighlok exclaimed, its voice a slight growl. "I'm working here!" And with that, the rangers charged.

Brooke and Jayden settled into their usual routine, the red and silver rangers fighting side by side. Brooke's gold eyes fell on Dayu, who had grabbed the blonde man and flung him over her shoulder, and the silver ranger let out a low growl. Still, she turned her attention back to the nighlok, slashing at an opening Jayden made for her, as Mia seemed to be on top of things in that regard.

"Dayu, stop!" Mia demanded, the pink ranger breaking into a sprint and running after the female nighlok.

"Mia!" Emily yelled, getting distracted by Mia's actions. The nighlok saw its chance and sprayed its sleeping gas, and Brooke cursed under her breath as she sheathed her blades.

She shifted, and wolf-Brooke bounced over to Emily, shoving her out of the way of the sleeping gas. Brooke had planned for that to work well, and _it didn't._ Instead of the sleeping gas hitting Emily, it hit her, and she felt her brain force her body to shift back into a human. The gas didn't make her choke or anything, which was nice, but that was the only nice thing about it. "Go help Mia." Brooke commanded, trying to make herself sound awake enough, and when Emily nodded and sprinted away, she gave up.

Her ranger suit disappeared in a flash of silver, and Jayden's eyes widened as Brooke stumbled in place. "Brooke!" He called, slashing at the nighlok and running over to her side. However, it was too late, and Brooke's eyes rolled to the back of her head, her hitting the concrete ground. She was asleep, clutching her samuraizer tightly in her hand.

Jayden let out a growl, but it soon turned into a noise of shock as he saw a flash of gold and Antonio hitting the ground as well. Both of his childhood friends were asleep, and the two fastest rangers on the team. That wasn't good at all.

"Hey, buddy, not exactly a good time to take a nap!" Mike chided, nudging Antonio with a booted foot. He didn't respond, and Brooke was the same way, Jayden crouching down and shaking her shoulder. The only good thing about it was that they looked somewhat peaceful.

"They won't wake up until I say so!" The nighlok exclaimed gleefully, and Jayden narrowed his eyes underneath his red helmet and tightened his grip on his spin-sword. "The more they dream, the tastier a snack they'll be!" The monster cackled, sounding rather proud of itself.

"Do you really think we're going to stand here and let that happen?" Jayden challenged through grit teeth, standing in front of Brooke protectively. Mike and Kevin settled into fighting stances in front of Antonio, the three rangers readying their spin-swords.

"Of course not! I gulp down my grub in the dream world, but I'm going to let them marinate a while!" The nighlok replied in a mocking tone. "But first things first, I need to go catch Dayu." It announced, jumping forward.

What could only be called a _portal_ opened above Antonio's chest, and the three remaining rangers could only watch as the nighlok hopped through it. Antonio showed no sign of waking from it, and the three rangers demorphed, Mike and Kevin sharing concerned looks at each other. Jayden flipped open his samuraizer and called Ji, keeping a careful eye on Brooke as he paced subconsciously.

 _"Jayden, that nighlok is Rhinosnorus. It puts its victims to sleep and enters their dreams,"_ Ji explained, and Jayden furrowed his brows, glancing down at Brooke. She looked so peaceful- and something about it made his heartthrob. _"His victims then usually experience vivid fantasies, usually happy ones."_

* * *

_"Brooke!" A bubbly voice called, and Brooke turned her head, breaking into a smile. Her canines were normal size for a human, and grey eyes sparkled with enthusiasm._

_"Hey, Hanna! I'm glad you could make it!" Brooke greeted, wrapping her arms around a smaller girl with brown curls and blue eyes. Once scarred arms were smooth, and Brooke placed her hands on Hanna's shoulders._

_Hanna beamed, brushing some of Brooke's long black hair out of her face. "Of course! It's your final show before districts, I wouldn't miss it!" She exclaimed happily, and blue eyes scanned the people present in the auditorium. "Is Jayden coming? I thought he's usually stuck by your side." She asked, and Brooke furrowed her brows._

_It was the last dance show she would be giving in Panorama, as she qualified for districts, the senior of Greensbrook high priding herself in her talent. Jayden was her long term boyfriend of two years- the two getting together their sophomore year, and silver and moonstone promise ring shone in the florescent lights of the auditorium. The two always stuck by each other's sides, looking happy around each other. They weren't big on PDA, but people still knew that they were together, as the way they talked about each other._

_"I'm sure he'll show, he always does," Brooke responded hopefully, grey eyes sparkling with joy. Still, she quirked a brow at Hanna's enthusiastic expression. "What's up?" She wondered, tilting her head to the side slightly._

_"I swear, you got lucky having Jayden as your boyfriend. I mean, I've never seen a guy so happy to be at someone's side before. I'm jealous." Hanna confessed, and Brooke flushed somewhat._

_"I'm lucky to have him, yeah," Brooke agreed, a happy smile on her lips as she stepped away from Hanna and pulled her phone out of her pocket. "I don't know what's with him, though. He's been quiet all day, even for Red standards." Worry was evident in her tone, and she debated texting him. She didn't, instead just staring at her lockscreen for a moment._

_It was her and Jayden- and Brooke recalled the memory of her pulling him to take a picture after their first date. He had been embarrassed but didn't object, and his cheeks were dusted pink in the picture, his arm wrapped around Brooke's waist. He was wearing red- his usual color, but the red scarf was wrapped around Brooke's neck. They both looked happy, blue, and grey eyes sparkling with joy, snow nestled in their hair. It had been snowing, and she remembered teasing Jayden for the snowflake that fell on his nose, him responding by kissing her. It was a good memory, but almost all of the ones she had with him were pleasant._

_He was like a dream come true, and Brooke tucked her phone back into her pocket. She turned her head at her dance instructor's call, waving a farewell to Hanna and getting ready for her performance._

* * *

The corners of Brooke's lips twitched into a smile, and Antonio let out a quiet laugh, Mike and Kevin sharing a mutual look of "what the fuck is going on". Meanwhile, Jayden's expression hardened, bracing himself for the caveat, knowing something bad was going to happen. _"Once devoured, his victims then never wake up in the real world again. You must locate and destroy him, fast."_ Ji urged, and Jayden's voice was hard as he responded.

 _There it was._ "We're on it, Ji," Jayden vowed, ending the call and flipping his samuraizer shut.

"So, what's the deal?" Mike questioned, giving Antonio one final nudge with his foot. He and Kevin walked over to where Jayden was standing, who was looking down at Brooke with a conflicted expression on his face.

He wondered what Brooke's dreams were- and selfishly, Jayden hoped they involved him, in some way. However, he pushed aside that thought as soon as it came up. _Now wasn't the time for that._ "We have to enter the dream world," Jayden explained, and Mike knit his brows, looking at Jayden with a skeptical expression.

"So we have to find our way into the dream world?" Mike asked, skepticism in his tone, and Kevin was equally confused.

"How do we do that?" Kevin blurted, and Mike instantly perked up.

"Amaris, right? Shouldn't she- _shit!"_ Mike exclaimed in shock, and all three rangers jumped in surprise when the white wolf appeared in a flash of silver.

 _"Symbol power can be used,"_ Amaris answered, padding over to Brooke and nuzzling her cheek. _"I will help since I am connected to symbol power. Jayden, do you have enough strength to create a portal for Kevin and Mike?"_ She asked, violet eyes landing on Jayden. _"After that, I will create a portal for you."_ Amaris explained, and Mike raised his eyebrows.

"Has this happened before? How do you know so much?" Mike questioned Amaris, whose ears and tail flicked.

The white wolf padded over to Jayden, and he crouched down, blue eyes meeting violet. _"I have been around for fifteen generations of samurai rangers,"_ Amaris explained, nuzzling Jayden's cheek in a comforting sort of manner. He let her, the smell of lavender calming his nerves somewhat, and Jayden then realized why Brooke called on the wolf so much. She was a constant level head. _"Xandred gets predictable after, say, five generations. I must say, this is the first time I have seen so many people fall victim."_ Violet eyes scanned the plaza, noticing the many people asleep on the tables.

"Thank you, Amaris." Kevin thanked, and Amaris' tail flicked as her violet eyes shined with pride.

 _"No need thanking me, I am a protector,"_ Amaris responded, but the three noticed the joy in her tone and the way her tail wagged somewhat. _"Jayden, do what you can. I will lend you my strength if need be."_ She urged, and Jayden nodded, petting Amaris and then standing.

Flipping open his samuraizer, the red ranger walked over to the sleeping gold. "I'll doubt I'll keep the portal open for very long, so jump in as soon as it materializes," Jayden commanded, and Amaris sat on her haunches next to Brooke.

The white wolf noticed the way that the red ranger didn't have much symbol power compared to red rangers in the past. That was interesting, and Amaris' violet eyes shone with curiosity. There seemed to be something about Jayden that he was hiding- other than his feelings for Brooke. The white wolf had picked up on those from the beginning, but something _darker_ seemed to be within him. It wasn't evil, per se, but Amaris didn't know what it was. It was something she knew she could find out easily if she tried, but she didn't like prying into people's secrets. From what she could tell, Jayden had good intentions, so there was no need to worry.

"Hang on buddy, help's on the way!" Mike called to a sleeping Antonio, and Jayden raised his samuraizer.

Once he remembered the symbol, Jayden quickly drew it. _"Symbol Power: Portal!"_ He yelled, and 門 floated in a brilliant red in the air for a moment. Jayden then activated the symbol, and with enough mental strength, the portal appeared. The kanji turned from red to black and purple, and Jayden grit his teeth at the headache that was forming. "Go! Now!" He barked, and Mike and Kevin nodded, breaking into a sprint and jumping through the portal.

Once the two rangers were through, Jayden ended the symbol and collapsed on his knees, breathing heavily. "Amaris- is this what Brooke feels like daily?" He panted, as his head pounded in tune with the beating of his heart. God, he felt _bad,_ and Jayden realized this was the first time he used that much symbol power in such a short time. It wasn't a fun experience.

 _"Yes, Brooke experiences the same amount of mental fatigue, and Antonio as well. They are both using excessive amounts of symbol power for long periods,"_ Amaris answered, standing and walking over to Jayden again. _"I will transfer some of Brooke's symbol power to you. Since it is one different from your own- it might feel strange at first. Do not worry, it has been done before and is harmless."_ She reassured Jayden, who nodded weakly, catching his breath.

He honestly felt bad for Brooke and Antonio, and Jayden wondered how they even could still _fight_ feeling like this. Amaris walked over and pressed her forehead to his, closing her eyes, and she started radiating a white light. Soon, Jayden felt his strength return, and then some, as a new type of energy filled his body that he hadn't ever felt before. It was like heightened adrenaline, and he could feel it coursing through his veins. Amaris finished transferring the symbol power and stepped back, the white wolf becoming translucent.

 _"We need to hurry, Brooke's running out of symbol power to use,"_ Amaris urged, and Jayden nodded and stood, pocketing his samuraizer. He and Amaris walked over to Brooke, the white wolf nuzzling Brooke's cheek once again. _"Do not fall for illusions. No matter how true they are made to be."_ It was a warning for both Brooke and Jayden, and that caused some concern to rise, but Jayden pushed it aside.

"Thanks, Amaris." Jayden thanked, and Amaris' tail only flicked as she started to glow again.

門 appeared again, but in purple and silver, and it took far less time for the white wolf to get the symbol working compared to the red ranger. When the portal opened, Jayden instantly broke into a sprint and jumped through it. When he had fully disappeared, Amaris ended the symbol, the white wolf flickering like a projection. Still, she didn't leave, only curling up next to Brooke and tucking her snout under her fluffy tail.

 _"Help will come, my dear. Do not fall for lies."_ Amaris murmured, closing her violet eyes.

* * *

Jayden landed in front of the auditorium that Panorama offered, and he furrowed his brows. It was night, but other than that, everything seemed the same as it was in the real world. Blue eyes scanned the area, and Jayden felt his eyes widen as his gaze landed on a poster. Walking over to it, he recognized Brooke's traditional grin but noticed that her canines weren't as long as they usually were. Her hair was longer and curlier, and Jayden noticed that her arms weren't scarred, and the scar she had on her palm from his spin-sword was gone. _Oh, this wasn't good._

Still, other than that, it was Brooke, Jayden's fingertips brushing the poster, and he noticed the silver band on his ring finger. That was new, as he never wore rings, and he didn't recognize it. Still, he had the strange sense to leave it on, so Jayden shoved his thoughts aside and turned his attention back to the poster.

It read _Brooke Wolfe's Final Act,_ in bold white letters, and Jayden connected the dots. Well, what he could. So, Brooke was human, and she was dancing, which made sense, as those seemed to be her dreams. It didn't explain the ring, but Jayden knew he would have to talk to Brooke. Glancing at the time on the poster, and then at his wristwatch, a slight panic set in. It was nearly showtime, and Jayden let out a heavy sigh as he started towards the entrance of the auditorium.

Well, he had always wanted to see Brooke dancing, so Jayden now had his chance. He walked into the auditorium, his eyes adjusting to the darkness of the large auditorium, and he took a seat and the end of the row. He was nervous- and he didn't even know _why._ A spotlight was in the middle of the stage, and blue eyes widened, heat rushing to Jayden's face as he made out the familiar figure of Brooke.

 _Oh, she's going to kill me,_ Jayden thought, trying so desperately to shut off his thoughts. Brooke stood in the spotlight, wearing a short high-waisted black pleated skirt and light grey halter top that was pretty much a crop-top. It was paired with fishnet leggings and black heels, and her long hair was piled into a bun, stray curls falling in front of her face as she danced. Jayden also noticed a tattoo that started below her ribs and ended mid-thigh, it being red and white flowers. He didn't know what flowers they were, but he found them pretty and tried so to ignore the way she swung her hips as she danced.

So, Jayden turned his attention to her face, noticing the sparkle in Brooke's eyes and the way she had a happy smile on her face as she sang and danced. It made him feel guilty, but Amaris' words rang in his head. He shouldn't fall for illusions, even if he wanted to.

Jayden couldn't even really pay attention to the music or _what_ Brooke was singing. Instead, he was just focused on _her._ She was happy, and it made Jayden's heart swell. Watching her dance and twirl around on stage made him happier than he wanted to admit. It wasn't long until the show ended, and he found himself applauding Brooke. He realized he was in too deep- but Jayden reminded himself that this wasn't real. _It couldn't be real._

Rising from his seat, Jayden made his way backstage, and blue eyes met grey, Brooke breaking into a wide smile. "Red! You made it!" She cheered, and Jayden let out a noise of surprise when she tackled him into a tight hug.

"Of course I would," Jayden stated, and that was the truth. "You did great, Brooke." His hands rested on her hips, and he wanted to stay like this. But, it wasn't real.

"I love you," Brooke murmured, and Jayden felt heat rise to his face. Brooke cradled his face in her hands, and Jayden noticed a ring similar to the one he wore on her ring finger, with a moonstone heart. _Promise rings?_ "You make me so happy." She stated, pressing a faint kiss to his lips.

 _Oh. OH._ Jayden didn't know how to react, so he just froze somewhat- his heartbeat pounding in his ears. So, they were together, presumably. Was this Brooke's dream, or _his?_ He didn't really know, but he enjoyed the sparkle in Brooke's eyes and the happy smile on her face. "I love you." He repeated, stammering some. He had his chance- so he took it.

 _It wasn't real._ Jayden reminded himself as he raised Brooke's chin and kissed her. _This isn't real. I have a job to do._ Feeling Brooke kiss him was better than he imagined, and when they pulled away, Jayden felt a smile growing on his face. This wasn't right- it _wasn't._ It shouldn't feel good, this shouldn't be what Jayden wanted.

"Hey, let me grab my stuff, and then we can go home." Brooke smiled, and Jayden nodded, feeling as she pressed a kiss to his cheek and walked away. _This wasn't good at all._

* * *

Jayden thought this was going to be easy- that he could just jump in Brooke's dream and kill the nighlok. Now, he found himself walking hand-in-hand with his _girlfriend,_ down the streets of Panorama as the moon cast everything in a silver glow, and he wasn't complaining. Still, Jayden knew what he had to do. "Brooke." He called, and Brooke stopped in her tracks, tilting her head to the side and quirking a brow.

"Everything okay? You're radiating stress." Brooke replied, tightening his grip on his hand some. Jayden nearly laughed at that- because he recalled Brooke, _real Brooke,_ telling him the same thing this morning.

"Yeah, listen," Jayden let out a heavy sigh, and Brooke's eyes widened slightly, her face paling. That made him feel guilty. "This isn't real." He spoke quickly, and Brooke brushed some of her hair out of her face.

"What do you mean? This feels pretty real," Brooke stated, brows furrowed and skepticism in her tone. "I mean, I'm happy. And I have you." She murmured, and Jayden felt his heartthrob. _This was going to be so much harder than he thought._

"This is a dream, Brooke. A nighlok created this." Jayden explained, and confusion sparkled in Brooke's eyes.

"So, we're power rangers?" Brooke asked, guiding him to a bench. They both sat down, and she let go of Jayden's hand, running a hand over her face.

Jayden blinked owlishly at Brooke. "How do you know that?" He wondered, and Brooke mustered a weak smile.

"Our parents were- but they won the war. That's how I know you, we were childhood friends," Brooke started, and the noise of confusion Jayden made caused her lips to twitch upwards. "But, I suppose in this other reality, our parents didn't win the war. And we're picking up the pieces." She speculated, and Jayden cleared his throat and nodded.

"Yeah, you're right. Things are different there- vastly different. You're not human, for starters, and we're, uh, not together." Jayden spoke quietly, and Brooke's eyes instantly widened.

"I'm sorry- I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I get why you didn't say anything but, argh, I'm sorry, Red. I didn't mean to-" Brooke started, but Jayden cut her off by grabbing her hand and shooting her a reassuring smile.

"No, it's all good. It's a long story, but, I have feelings for you," Jayden blurted, feeling heat rise to his face. "I can't act on them, since we're fighting a war, and you're my teammate. This is nice, but I know I shouldn't be enjoying this." He explained, letting out a heavy sigh. He wished Amaris was here- she would know what to do.

Brooke lightly nudged his shoulder with hers. "Hey, I'm sure reality-Brooke understands. You have a valid reason," She reassured Jayden, letting out a light laugh and turning her attention to the night sky. " _Reality-Brooke._ Not gonna lie, Red, this is bizarre."

"I don't blame you, it's bizarre for me too," Jayden agreed, shaking his head in disbelief. This whole thing fucked with his emotions more than he liked, and he _knew_ that his dad was rolling in his grave. "What's it like here?" He asked Brooke, who chewed on her bottom lip slightly.

"Well, we're childhood friends because of our parents being rangers, but after the war, I moved to Greensbrook. I still live there, but I come to Panorama for dance and stuff, as you can tell. We actually met again because our friend, Mike, dragged you to a football game that I was cheering at, and you were _shy._ It was really cute, and that winter we went out on our first date, where you kissed me in the snow, and we've been together since. That was our sophomore year, and since we're about to graduate, we've been dating for almost two years. We even got into the same college and everything."

Brooke averted her gaze from Jayden, tightening her hold on his hand somewhat. Jayden sat in silence for a couple of moments, just digesting what Brooke said. So they lived normal lives- but from what he gathered, some aspects were still the same, such as the team being around. Well, they weren't really a _team_ here, just a group of friends. Another thing that caught Jayden off guard was the fact that he and Brooke were together for _that_ long. Not that he was complaining, but it was interesting, to say the least. He always figured Brooke would want a normal life, with someone who wasn't caught up being a ranger. Well, he wasn't a ranger in this life, so it made sense.

"In my reality, we're childhood friends, but you got your memories wiped. You just appeared out of the blue one day, and made the team frustrated because you kept running away," Jayden started, and he saw the grin growing on Brooke's lips. So she was still the same in that regard. "You've been on the team for months now, and it's gotten chaotic, for lack of a better term. Some stuff happened, and I'm now trying to convince myself that I don't need you around. You got hurt, and it makes me feel guilty." He realized he was oversharing, but Brooke didn't seem to mind. In fact, she tightened her grip on his hand.

"You and the Red I know are the same in that way. You both overthink way too much," Brooke commented, and Jayden raised his eyebrows. "I should've figured that something was off, your hands are more scarred than they usually are," She murmured, tracing some of the scars on Jayden's hand with her fingertips. Some of them were burn scars, back from when he was still getting used to his symbol power, but those were faded now. The newest ones were from a run-in with a nighlok, Jayden forgot which one. There were also some cuts on his hands from the run-in with Octoroo and the whole Tengen Gate debacle, and Brooke frowned at them. "The world isn't kind to you, is it?" She thought aloud, and Jayden blinked in surprise.

He wasn't prepared for that question. "Being a ranger isn't harmless," Jayden agreed, blue eyes meeting grey. "I feel bad, you're happy here. I've never seen you with such a wide smile before." He murmured, and Brooke furrowed her brows.

"I'm on meds here, so that has to do with it, and I go to therapy, bi-weekly, actually," Brooke admitted with a weak smile. "I don't know how you stuck around, I was a mess. You always sat through my panic attacks and talked me through my nightmares, even when others didn't. You always stayed up and dealt with me, y'know?" Jayden felt tears land on his palm, and he wiped away Brooke's tears with the pad of his thumb. "Christ, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that to you. Anyways," Brooke drew in a shaky breath. "When my mom was fighting the war, she had to stop taking her meds because it messed with her shifting- if that's still the same. So, most likely, I probably have the same problems I have here and then some. It's hard to be yourself with imbalanced chemicals, but, I can't really _get help,_ y'know?"

Jayden felt the need to apologize. About everything- about Brooke being a shifter, which was his father's fault, about having to fight in the war. But he couldn't, especially with _this Brooke._ She probably would be confused and upset, and that's the last thing he wanted to do. "I love you. I know I'm not the Jayden you know, and you're not the Brooke I know, but, I need to get this out before I blurt it out during training. I love you, Brooke. I have since we were kids." Jayden blurted, and Brooke smiled at the slight stammering of his voice. This Jayden and her Jayden were the same in that way, too. It was cute.

That made Brooke wonder if this counted as cheating. Because it was still Jayden, just a different reality Jayden. Power Ranger Jayden. Still, she pushed those thoughts aside and cradled his face in her hands. "I'm sure other reality Brooke loves you, Red. Just give her time, I'm really _dense._ " She murmured, and then her lips were on his again.

It was like she was kissing Jayden for the first time again. He didn't seem to know what to do, and it was _cute._ The kisses were slow, barely there, and Brooke could _feel_ the heat radiating off of Jayden's face. Still, he buried his hands in her hair, and Brooke took it as the silent invitation to deepen the kiss, Jayden seemingly getting into the rhythm of what he was supposed to do. It was _nice,_ and both Brooke and Jayden found themselves smiling at each other when they pulled away, Jayden's face as red as his shirt as his chest heaved. His hair was slightly messy, and it was almost like he was in bliss.

"You look-" Brooke started, but she was cut off by a flash of dark red, and Jayden's smile instantly fell. Just his luck for the nighlok to show up at the time he _didn't_ want it to happen.

"Hate to cut your little moment off, but I have my next meal!" Rhinosnorus cackled, pointing a stubby finger at Brooke, who was surprisingly nonchalant about the whole thing. She just blinked in surprise, furrowing her brows.

"Meal?" Brooke echoed, her voice barely above a whisper. That was new, but Jayden seemed to know what he was doing, and Brooke trusted him.

Jayden rose from the bench quickly, pulling his samuraizer out of his pocket and flipping it open. "I'm not going to let that happen! _Go Go Samurai!"_ He called, drawing the familiar symbol and morphing into his ranger suit. "Brooke, run, okay? Don't look back." Jayden urged, and Brooke rose from her seat as he rushed into battle with a yell.

Something was telling her she _should_ fight. That it was her job, and Brooke looked down at her hands. They were suddenly scarred, her fingernails long and jagged, and grey eyes widened at the scars wrapping around her arms like vines. _This isn't real._ Jayden's words echoed in her head, and she spotted him fighting the nighlok. She had to help him. But how? She wasn't a ranger- not in this reality, anyway. Still, Brooke took two hesitant steps forward, hardening her resolve. If this wasn't real, she just had to convince herself that she was someone else. It was a dream, and dreams could be warped due to cognition.

Brooke turned her attention when she heard two others join the fight, the blue and green rangers. _Kevin and Mike._ The memories came rushing back, and in a flash of bright silver, Brooke changed back into her regular appearance, with shorter black hair and grey leather jacket. This is who she was.

 _"Glad you found yourself, my dear."_ Amaris' voice rang in Brooke's mind, and it caused her to break into a grin.

"It's showtime! _Go Go Samurai!"_ Brooke called, flipping open her samuraizer and activating the brush portion. She quickly drew the symbol, the kanji for wolf hanging in silver for a moment. Then, she activated the symbol, and as the silver ranger suit materialized on her body she rushed into battle.

"I think getting decapitated is the last thing you want to do in battle, might be me though," Brooke teased Jayden as she blocked Rhinosnorus's sword with one katana and slashed with the other. "I don't know what's going on at the moment, but we just gotta kill this thing, right?" She asked, Mike and Kevin noticing that she was back to her normal self.

"Brooke! Glad to have you back!" Mike called, and Brooke grinned underneath her helmet.

Truth be told, Brooke had no idea where she was or how she got here. Well, she was in Panorama, but why was it _night?_ She remembered fighting the nighlok during the day, but she also remembered some sort of sleeping gas. That might be it. "Glad to be back." She replied, and Rhinosnorus let out a growl.

"What a snooze! I'm out of here!" Rhinosnorus announced, disappearing into a crack in a flash of dark red.

"Mike, you and Kevin take care of Rhinosnorus. I'll get Brooke out of here." Jayden commanded. Truth be told, he was happy Brooke was back to her normal self. The familiarity was nice, but the feeling of being kissed by her was nice as well. _You win some, you lose some._

Both Mike and Kevin nodded. "You got it! Let's go, Kev!" Mike urged, the blue and green rangers disappearing, and the silver and red demorphing.

"I have a feeling something h- _fuck!"_ Brooke let out a hiss of pain when a burning sensation started around her finger. She cursed under her breath, and Jayden instantly took off his own promise ring and pocketed it, quickly walking up to Brooke.

"Here, I've got it," Jayden murmured, and Brooke grit her teeth as he took the silver ring off of her finger. Blisters instantly formed and popped, blood dripping into Jayden's hand. He didn't seem to care, as blue eyes met grey-gold, his eyes sparkling with concern. "Are you alright?" He asked, and Brooke nodded, smiling weakly.

"Yeah, I dunno what the ring is about," Brooke answered, her eyes flashing as she glanced at the ring. "As I was saying, something happened, didn't it?" She wondered, and Jayden nodded as he pocketed the ring.

"This is your dream world," Jayden stated, and Brooke furrowed her brows, her eyes flashing. "It's a long story, but Rhinosnorus puts his victims to sleep and creates ideal fantasies for them. Then, he eats them." He didn't go into _what_ the dream was, because Jayden was slightly scared about that. He'll keep that to himself for the time being, and pretend like kissing dream-Brooke _didn't_ happen. It's easier to just pretend.

"Hey, I'm bleeding on you- that sounds bad," Brooke cut herself off, quickly moving her finger so it wasn't dripping blood on Jayden's hand anymore. He seemed rather nonchalant, just shaking the excess blood off of his hands and wiping his hand on his jeans. "Sorry about that." Brooke apologized, and Jayden shook his head, shooting her a small and reassuring smile.

"It's alright, Brooke," Jayden reassured Brooke, and she felt him grab her uninjured hand with his clean one. She let him, the two rangers intertwining fingers. "Are you ready to go back?" He asked, and Brooke nodded.

Questions were swirling in her head, some of them involving the ring. Why was she wearing it? It looked like a promise ring- but last time she checked, Brooke didn't wish to date anyone, let alone be in a long-lasting relationship. Sure, she had feelings for Jayden, but those weren't to _that_ degree, right? Letting out a quiet sigh and tightening her grip on Jayden's hand, Brooke shook those thoughts out of her head. "Amaris, I need you." She called softly, and Amaris instantly appeared in a flash of silver.

 _"You both did well for not falling for illusions,"_ Amaris praised, and Jayden noticed how the white wolf's violet eyes lingered on him for a moment. That caused him to avert his gaze, heat rising to his face. _"I will create a portal that allows you two to leave this place."_ She offered, and Brooke nodded. She noticed Jayden's pink cheeks but didn't question it, summing it up to whatever happened in the dream.

"So, you can travel into people's dreams?" Brooke wondered, and Amaris' tail flicked.

 _"Wherever the holder of the moon disk is, I am able to go,"_ Amaris answered, bouncing over to Brooke and looking up at her. _"It just so happens to be your dreams this time, my dear. I need to use some of your symbol power for the portal to work, is that alright?"_ She asked, and Brooke's eyes flashed as she nodded.

"Do what you need to do, Amaris," Brooke responded, and Amaris seemed to nod, bouncing away from Brooke. The same symbol as earlier- 門 appeared in a mix of purple and silver. Wind picked up, rustling both ranger's clothes and hair, and the white wolf's fur as the portal opened.

Jayden and Brooke nodded at each other, the two tightening their grip on each other's hands. The silver and red rangers broke into a sprint, leaping into the portal.

* * *

When Brooke's booted feet hit the pavement, she instantly stumbled, a wave of nausea hitting her. Before she could fall, she felt a pair of warm arms wrap around her waist, and Brooke looked up and Jayden as she regained her bearings. "First, I want to apologize for what my dream put you through." She was partly joking and raised an eyebrow when pink dusted Jayden's cheeks.

"It wasn't bad," Jayden mumbled, averting his gaze from Brooke. Okay, so, pretending that the dream was nothing was going to be difficult. But, it could be done, hopefully. "I got to see you dance, you're really good." He stated, regaining his composure, and he enjoyed the way Brooke instantly brightened, a wide smile growing on her lips.

"You did? I'm glad you enjoyed it then," Brooke's tone was full of joy, but her smile fell as she surveyed the plaza. Grey eyes landed on a sleeping Antonio, and Brooke cringed, her eyes turning grey-gold. "I remember this part, but _Goldie?_ Yikes." She muttered, and Jayden removed his arms from around her waist. The red ranger walked over to the sleeping gold, crouching down and frowning.

"What do you think he's dreaming about?" Jayden asked Brooke, who snickered as she took a seat on the ground. She had the familiar headache that she was running low on symbol power, but tried to ignore it.

"Knowing Antonio? Prolly fishing." Brooke answered with a grin, and the corners of Jayden's lips twitched upward.

"I shouldn't have asked," Jayden declared, sitting next to Brooke. "I suppose it's just a waiting game until Mike and Kevin defeat the nighlok." He added, and Brooke nodded, drawing her knees to her chest. Her gaze landed on her blistered and bloody finger, and she cringed somewhat.

"Yeah, it is. I just hope it ends soon, because knowing us, it's hardly over." Brooke muttered, leaning against Jayden's arm as a sort of headrest.

He noticed this and scooted closer somewhat. Dream-Brooke's words echoed in his head, and Jayden looked down, and Brooke with a faint smile. "Do you have a tattoo? The dream version of you did, it was on your side, and red and white flowers." He asked, quickly chalking on the last sentence when he noticed Brooke looking up at him with raised brows.

"Yeah, I do. They're azaleas, I got it on my sixteenth birthday. Azaleas mean "take care of yourself for me", Casper picked it out." Brooke explained, looking up at Jayden with a grin. "What, did you expect I would have a wolf tattoo? Because I feel like I've beat that motif to death. The last name and wolf features are good enough." She joked, and Jayden rolled his eyes playfully.

"They suit you, it's pretty," Jayden commented, and Brooke's eyes flashed as she flushed somewhat. But this time, she didn't try to cover it with a grin, only breaking into a genuine smile.

"Thanks, Red. It means a lot." Brooke thanked, and Jayden shifted his position so that they both were more comfortable. He realized his plans to tell Brooke he didn't want her around went out the window, and Jayden didn't really mind. He could protect her, and he made the silent promise to.

* * *

Antonio woke up, and Brooke lifted her head from Jayden's arm, watching in amusement as Antonio looked around, confusion etched on his face. "Where's my trophy?" He muttered, and Brooke and Jayden shared a look, ghost of smiles on their lips and amusement glittering in their eyes. Antonio's eyes fell on the pair, and it caused him to grow even more confused. "Jayden, Brooke, what happened?"

"Antonio, you were trapped in the dream world. Kevin and Mike went in and saved you." Jayden explained, and Brooke nodded.

"Don't want you eaten today, Goldie. Or any day, for that matter." Brooke added, grinning at Antonio, who looked somewhat in shock.

Then, realization dawned on his face. "Yeah, they were there," Antonio remarked, his voice quiet. Then, he turned his attention to Brooke. "What about you? I remember seeing you get hit with the sleeping gas. Well, Jay yelling your name, but still." He questioned, and Brooke quirked a brow at Jayden, who only shrugged, pink dusting his cheeks somewhat.

"I don't remember my dream, but, I'm here now, so, that's that," Brooke answered, waving her hand in dismissal. Antonio caught sight of her injured finger, and she cut him off before he could even start. "It's just due to silver, it's fine. It's happened before, not life-threatening or anything like that." She reassured Antonio, who looked unconvinced and didn't say anything else.

"Well, you got your- uh oh. We've got bad company." Antonio warned, and the three stood, noticing the spitfangs and giant moogers that appeared.

"It's never-ending," Brooke sighed, turning her attention to Jayden and Antonio. "It's the three of us against the world again. Even though we're all exhausted." She stated, taking her samuraizer out of the pocket of her leather jacket and flipping it open and activating the brush portion. She didn't _want_ to be doing this, Brooke just wanted a real nap, but that could never happen. Sleep deprivation was just something she felt constantly now, and Brooke didn't enjoy it, but she accepted it.

Antonio flipped open his morpher as well. "Alright you two, let's do this, just how we were kids! The three of us against the baddies." He stated enthusiastically, and both Brooke and Jayden smiled.

_"Go Go Samurai!"_

_"Gold Power!"_

The kanji for wolf, light, and fire appeared in silver, gold, and red, the ranger suits appearing on the respective rangers' body. "Samurai Ranger: Ready!" The three called in unison, then going into megamode power. The wolf zord stood in the middle of the lion zord and clawzord, the silver zord snarling at the giant monsters.

"Alright lion zord, let's prove you're the king of the concrete jungle." Jayden urged his zord, and Brooke rolled her eyes with a grin underneath her silver helmet.

"Watch out for the spitfangs, you two!" Brooke warned through the comms as her wolf zord barely dodged a fireball. The wolf zord retaliated by lunging at one of the spitfangs and battling it, sparks flying wherever its silver claws came in contact with the monster.

"I know, they have some serious bad breath!" Antonio taunted, and both Brooke and Jayden rolled their eyes, shaking their heads.

Brooke was surprised to see that Jayden's lion zord could light _on fire,_ the mechanical lion ablaze, and flying through the air. It knocked down multiple giant moogers, the wolf zord finishing the job by slashing at the monsters with its claws. The clawzord took care of some other moogers, the three rangers taking their megablades out of their control panels and performing finishing moves. It caused all of the remaining monsters to explode, the lion zord and wolf zord roaring and howling at the sky in victory.

_"Victory is Ours."_

* * *

Wolf-Brooke, Jayden, and Antonio stopped at a storage warehouse, the brown wolf hopping onto a rusty part of a crane and sitting on her haunches. "Good job, you two, just like old times," Jayden praised, and wolf-Brooke barked in response, nuzzling Jayden's cheek. He let out a faint laugh, ruffling the brown wolf's fur in-between her ears. "You okay?" He asked Antonio, who let out a groan as he sat down.

"Every muscle hurts," Antonio complained with a groan, and wolf-Brooke nuzzled his cheek as well. It was all playful, and Jayden knew that, so the jealousy he felt _wasn't needed._ Still, it was there, but Jayden pushed it aside with a smile at his two childhood friends.

They were all exhausted, and both Antonio and Jayden wondered how Brooke had the energy to be in her wolf form. The three rangers'- well, two rangers and wolf's, muscles throbbed and their heads pounded from the lack of symbol power. They had all used a tremendous amount of symbol power today, Antonio with the black box, Jayden and Brooke with the cage and portal symbols. Still, a playful air surrounded the three exhausted childhood friends, but it dropped quickly when wolf-Brooke sniffed the air. Her brown and white fur bristled as she hopped off of the seat, letting out a low growl accompanied by vicious snarls at the metal doors at one of the storage compartments.

"Brooke?" Both Jayden and Antonio called to the brown wolf, voices laced with confusion and concern. Wolf-Brooke had settled into a defensive stance, golden eyes shining with fresh malice and hatred.

"Hey, Brooke, what's wrong?" Jayden asked, standing up from his seat and walking over to wolf-Brooke. He crouched down next to the brown wolf and instantly noticed the way that she stepped forward, protecting him.

Antonio and Jayden shared a confused look, as wolf-Brooke wouldn't answer, just growling at the storage compartment door. Her growls became louder as the door squeaked open, her snout wrinkling to reveal her canines. When Deker strolled in, Antonio and Jayden realized that was who Brooke was reacting to, her ears now flattened to her head. She looked like a brown and white puffball with golden eyes and teeth and claws, and her hatred was evident.

 _"Keep watch, she is relying on the energy that being a wolf gives her. It is likely that Brooke does not have much of a rational thought process left."_ Amaris advised, her voice holding slight worry as it rang through Jayden and Antonio's heads. The two rangers nodded, knowing they might have to tackle a wolf to the ground, and that was something new.

"Not him again," Antonio muttered darkly, annoyance in his tone, and wolf-Brooke seemed to agree. She kept a trained eye on Deker, and she had stopped growling, but the hatred was still evident.

Jayden set his jaw and said nothing, blue eyes sparkling with fresh anger as he rose out of his crouch. Brooke not thinking straight worried him, but he pushed that worry aside and focused on his hatred for Deker. He just wanted to go home, it really was never-ending. He was tired and his thoughts were too overwhelming to deal with this, and he somewhat wished that Brooke's dream was real. That their parents had won the war and that was that. But, here he was, and Jayden knew he had to play with the cards he was dealt.

"Why do you want to fight them now? Why?" Antonio questioned Deker, who said nothing.

Wolf-Brooke's growls returned and were accompanied by snarls as the half-human uncovered and unsheathed his blade. She tensed, claws scratching at the concrete ground, and nothing _good_ was going through her mind. All she knew was that she had to protect Jayden and Antonio, and if that meant ripping Deker's throat, so be it. It couldn't be much different than a deer. She was ready to when Deker pointed his blade at her and Jayden, golden eyes narrowing. Her one rational brain cell was telling her to _not_ do that, however, so Brooke didn't. For now. It was only a matter of time.

"Why now? They're too exhausted!" Antonio argued, and Jayden tried to keep his mind awake enough for this bullshit. He knew Antonio was really the only level headed one here, and you know? He never gave his childhood friend enough credit. Jayden silently thanked Antonio for being so calm, and getting him out of a battle, for the second time now.

Moogers swarmed behind Deker, and wolf-Brooke let out a bone-chilling warning bark, saliva dripping from her canines. Deker seemed to be unaffected, and with a flick of his wrist, the moogers settled somewhat. "Master Xandred and his noodle faced crony Octoroo have seen to it that we are interrupted yet again." He stated, and when he turned into his nighlok form, Jayden crouched down next to wolf-Brooke, burying his hand in her fur and stopping her before she could lunge.

"Brooke, it's okay, try to relax. It's Jayden and Antonio, alright? Try to ignore Deker." Jayden soothed, his voice barely audible, and wolf-Brooke let out a whine, which turned into a growl as the moogers started rushing forward.

"No-one touch the red and silver rangers. They're mine!" Deker commanded, and wolf-Brooke stopped growling, her tail drooping somewhat.

It was an expression of fear, and Jayden didn't blame her. Deker's fighting style was _feral,_ the half-human putting full strength behind each swing. He wasn't even waiting for the moogers to fall before attacking the next one, and in a matter of _seconds,_ all of the moogers were defeated. Brooke's fear was replaced by anger yet again, and she was _sure_ that Deker didn't know how to fight a wolf. And she knew the ways to kill a human, with teeth and claws. So, she had a chance. However, she would let him make the first move- quiet growls serving as a warning.

"Alright red and silver rangers, our time to duel has come." Deker declared, and Jayden tensed, getting ready to act in case Brooke decided to lunge. Which was a possibility, given the current situation. Not that Jayden blamed her, but he didn't want her doing something she'll regret in the long run.

"No!" Antonio blurted, running so he was standing in front of Jayden and wolf-Brooke some. "Not now, we just finished a battle! And Brooke's not thinking straight! Besides, we rangers don't just fight for the sake of fighting." He argued, and Deker raised his sheathed sword.

"Red and silver rangers, I'll give you twenty-four hours," Deker offered, and wolf-Brooke's fur bristled, even more, her growls becoming much louder. "There will be no further delay, tomorrow metal will meet metal." He challenged, and Jayden set his jaw, glaring at Deker from where he was crouched next to the brown wolf.

"Didn't you hear Antonio? We won't fight just for fighting's sake, I only fight to protect the innocent," Jayden spat, narrowing his eyes when Deker's gaze flickered to Brooke. "And leave Brooke out of this, you're purposely making her upset. You're trying to get a reaction out of her." He demanded, and the brown wolf only snarled.

Deker didn't confirm or deny that accusation. "Well then, if you don't show, I doubt I'll be able to control myself." He threatened, and Jayden let out a growl of his own. It was drowned out by wolf-Brooke's warning bark, her bark reverberating off of the metal walls of the storage compartment.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jayden spat, narrowing his eyes. He and Antonio both kept a careful eye on the brown wolf, however, because she looked about ready to snap.

"You two disappoint me, and I might not be able to hold back my nighlok side much longer. I could possibly attack whoever is near," Deker explained, and his gaze slid to wolf-Brooke. "Besides, silver ranger, you have a brother, don't you? If you fail to challenge me, maybe I'll pick him as an opponent instead. And he won't be able to refuse." He threatened, and the brown wolf let out a warning bark.

She lunged with a snarl, and Jayden wrapped his arms around wolf-Brooke's torso. He had to somewhat tackle the wolf to the ground, Antonio doing the same thing. She struggled against them, scratching at the concrete and snarling at Deker, and both Jayden and Antonio had to strain themselves to keep her from attacking. Wolf-Brooke thrashed against their grip, her ears flattened to her head, and she was straining herself to _break free_ of Jayden and Antonio's hold.

"You see, she's not so different than me. Her anger, her _bloodlust,_ is fully present. Tell me, do you really care for a beast that much?" Deker asked Jayden, who grit his teeth, sweat breaking out along his hairline. Wolf-Brooke was much stronger than he thought she would be, and both Jayden and Antonio were somewhat impressed, but wishing that _wasn't_ the case. The muscles rippled underneath her brown fur, and it was clear that the two rangers were somewhat struggling to hold her back.

"I do. She's still more human than you'll ever be. You're doing this on purpose," Jayden hissed through clenched teeth, tightening his grip on the brown wolf. "Don't compare her to you. I know her. There's no way in hell I'm letting you hurt her." He spat, and wolf-Brooke seemed to grow tired, her growls growing quieter as she stopped straining herself.

"Say what you will, but no-one will be safe. My victim's pain, her brother's pain, we'll be both of your faults, not mine." Deker threatened, and Antonio and Jayden released their hold on Brooke as she shifted back.

Brooke was panting, clutching the front of the t-shirt that she wore underneath her leather jacket in a clawed fist. Her knuckles were white, and her body shook with a mix of fear and rage. "I won't let you lay a finger on Maxx. If you want to fight me- _so be it. I'll strike you down."_ She threatened, her voice almost incomprehensible as it came out as a growl. Her heart was beating in overtime, and so fast it _hurt_ , angry tears rolling down her face.

"Noon, tomorrow by the sea." Deker replied, smirking, and then turning on his heel and walking away.

"I'm sorry," Brooke choked out, resisting the urge to scream. She wanted to rush after Deker and just skewer him in the heart, but that wasn't possible, for a multitude of reasons. "I'm so so sorry." She mumbled as she stared at the concrete, her eyes dull. Her entire body _hurt_ , and Brooke was scared to see Antonio and Jayden's expressions.

"You didn't act, Brooke, it's okay. It's okay." Antonio reassured Brooke, who only let out a sob in response.

Jayden nodded, pulling her into his lap. "We'll strike him down. Together, and we'll end this." He vowed, and Brooke's consciousness gave up altogether, her going limp in Jayden's arms. He looked down at her, wondering how he got here. About an hour ago he was getting kissed by a dream version of Brooke and now she was unconscious in his arms.

It was a sudden turn of events, and it was one Jayden didn't enjoy.


	20. let's end this

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brooke and Jayden both just want naps and a cure for tension headaches. Deker and general ranger business prevents that from happening.

Grey eyes snapped open and flashed gold as Brooke surveyed her surroundings. She was far too tired to _move,_ so she just used her sense of smell. From what she could gather, she was in the med bay. Which was somewhat concerning, because Brooke remembered wanting to kill Deker- _Deker._

"Maxx," Brooke spoke aloud, her voice holding immense fear and worry. She ignored her exhaustion and swung her legs over the side of the bed, boots hitting the wooden floor with no noise. Her head pounded, and she let out a groan of pain and general annoyance as she clutched her head.

The memories came rushing back, Deker threatening to pick Maxx as an opponent instead of Brooke. That thought alone caused Brooke to launch in a slight panic, and she tried to ignore her now racing heart. She would fight Deker- and even if the team disagreed with it, so be it. She wasn't going to lose another family member, let alone her fifteen-year-old brother, to more samurai bullshit. Brooke felt like she's made enough sacrifices as it is. Speaking of, the radio static going through her head made her come to the conclusion that she wolfed out- which wasn't good at all. But, she wasn't bloody, and nothing _hurt,_ it was just overall exhaustion, not pain. So, that was good, but she had to make sure Jayden and Antonio were okay.

Brooke stood, using the wall as a crutch to help regain her balance. She noticed her injured finger was now wrapped, and she smelt the faint smell of peaches that was fading from the room. _Mia_. So that was good, the others were safe, and hopefully unharmed. That fact alone caused some of the panic that Brooke felt to disperse, and the want to skewer Deker lessened. But, it was still there, and she subconsciously let out a growl at the thoughts of the half-human. God, she _hated him._ Still, he was going to be dealt with soon. And that was more than enough.

Meanwhile, Jayden inspected his reflection in his bathroom mirror. He looked exhausted, no wonder Mia told him that she would handle Brooke, as bags were starting to appear underneath his eyes. He knew it was due to the fact he wasn't sleeping well- and while Jayden knew he could go ask for sleeping meds from Ji, he was almost _scared_ to do so. Because it would lead to a lecture about his physical and mental health, and Jayden's had enough of those for a lifetime. He knew he was headed down a path of self-destruction, which always happened when things got too chaotic, and it was worrying. He was worried for himself, and Jayden stepped away from the mirror, letting out a heavy sigh.

The tension headache made it feel like his skull was getting split open, but Jayden tried to ignore it to the best of his abilities. Instead, he fished his pocket, pulling out the two promise rings. He also felt something different in his pocket, and when he pulled out the rings, he also pulled out a small polaroid picture. Raising his eyebrows, Jayden flipped over the polaroid and felt his eyes widen somewhat. It was him and Brooke- well, the dream world him and Brooke, as shown by Brooke's longer hair and normal-sized canines.

 _They looked happy._ It was almost like something out of one of the cheesy couple pictures if Jayden wasn't asleep. They were both lying on a bed- and by the dark grey sheets and a black comforter that had white silhouettes of wolves on it, it was Brooke's. She was lying next to Jayden, and he had his face buried into the crook of her neck, a hand in his hair, and a sleepy smile on her face. Jayden recognized the flannel she was wearing- it was his red and black one, and it was _somewhat_ worrying that his first thought was that it looked good on her. Under the picture was written "I love you so much" with a messily drawn heart and a smiley face. It was _domestic,_ and it made Jayden long for a moment that wasn't real. He doubted it even could be real, and let out a heavy sigh as he walked out of his bathroom.

Opening a small drawer in his desk- where he usually kept the things he cared about, Jayden gently placed the polaroid in the drawer and turned his attention to the promise rings. Brooke's was bloody, due to the silver coming in contact with her skin, but it was easy to tell that these rings were a pair. There was a small moon engraved on the inner portion of the band of both of the rings, and Jayden wondered if he bought these- well if dream-him bought the rings, or Brooke did. The whole thing was _surreal,_ as he was looking at rings that shouldn't even exist, but he was glad they did. And was that thought somewhat worrying? Yes, of course. Did Jayden care? _Somewhat._ It was bittersweet, and Jayden put the two rings in the small drawer and shut it.

If those got found, along with the polaroid, questions would arise, so Jayden planned to find a better hiding spot for them later. For now, it was good enough, and he shook all thoughts pertaining to the dream world out of his head. If Brooke was awake, which, knowing her, she probably was, Jayden knew he would have to start a meeting that he was _not_ looking forward to. Still, it must be done, and he steeled himself for whatever the meeting was going to throw at him. He knew it wasn't going to end _well,_ but Jayden could only hope.

* * *

Brooke wished for the meeting to be over as soon as it began. It was all very overwhelming, but she had to just sit through it. It seems like that's all she did now, push aside negative emotions, and pretend like everything was fine. Which, it wasn't, as the want to kill someone was a very _concerning_ thought and Brooke didn't know if she was mentally stable anymore. It didn't seem like it, as she found herself spiraling deeper into a depressive episode as each second passed and she was left alone with her thoughts. She wished she could do what Jayden did, shut his thoughts off, and just go blank, but that wasn't a possibility. Well, at least she had Amaris.

The white wolf's presence in her mind was comforting. Brooke was too exhausted to summon her, but they still used mental communication, as it was just _thinking._ Their conversations were about Deker- of course they were, but more importantly how Brooke _reacted_ to Deker. Amaris told her not to worry, as she wasn't in the right mental state to have full control over her emotions like she usually did. It was reassuring, but it didn't seem to quell some of the fear in Brooke's heart. Jayden and Antonio had to tackle her to the ground, and that already was saying enough.

Turning her attention back to the meeting, Brooke mentally steeled herself for what was going to happen. She just hoped people weren't going to raise their voices because her head felt like it was getting hit with a hammer repeatedly. She was on the brink of sensory overload, and that wasn't good. Brooke resisted the urge to just walk out, her expression hardening and eyes settling on grey-gold.

"Jayden, Brooke, it's crazy to do this. Take on Deker, and by yourselves?" Kevin questioned Jayden and Brooke, who just stayed quiet for the most part. There was no use starting unnecessary arguments. Well, this whole thing was going to _turn into_ an unnecessary argument, but still. No use rushing that part along.

"Deker insists that's how it had to be." Antonio defended, and both Brooke and Jayden were immensely grateful for him. He seemed to be more levelheaded than both of them at the moment.

"You can't do this. A samurai only fights necessary battles." Kevin argued, and Brooke wanted to roll her eyes.

She knew that part was coming. "It _is_ necessary, Kevin. If we don't show, Deker claimed he wouldn't "have control of his nighlok side anymore"," Brooke stated, using air quotes. Her claws were fully bared, fingernails jagged and sharp. "That puts civilians in danger, and it might just be me, but I feel like that's what we're trying to avoid. That's why we're even fighting this war in the first place." She retorted, leaving out the part that Maxx was threatened. That would make her too emotional, and Brooke didn't want to deal with those emotions right now. Or ever.

If Maxx fought him, it would be a bloodbath. Sure, the fifteen-year-old _probably_ had some sword fighting skills, as Brooke would teach him from time to time. But against Deker? He'd get murdered. And while Brooke fought with her little brother and thought he was an asshole most of the time, she didn't want to see him _dead._ She didn't fight to get them out of James' house just to see Maxx die at the hands of a man that's probably lived in caves for centuries. Brooke wouldn't let him die.

"Okay, fine! We'll handle him like we have handled any other nighlok. As a _team."_ Kevin exclaimed, and Brooke shook her head. She noticed the subtle way Jayden's eye twitched and he set his jaw, so she wanted to diffuse _that_ ticking time-bomb.

"He wouldn't be satisfied," Brooke fired back, crossing her leg over her knee. "Deker's made it abundantly clear that he just wants Red and I to fight him. Nothing more, nothing less. I don't like following orders from _him,_ but it's all we can really do. We have too much at stake if we _don't_ go." Her eyes flashed again, settling on a color more gold than grey. She could feel the increasing tension in the room, somebody was going to snap. So, Brooke mentally prepared herself for that.

"Since when do we let a nighlok dictate how we battle!" Kevin's voice grew louder, and Brooke flinched somewhat.

The rest of the team noticed the way she shrunk herself back some, but Brooke tried not to look completely scared. She didn't even know why she- well, she knew why, and she thought she was over getting scared by people yelling. Apparently not, and Brooke felt a hand on her arm, her looking at Antonio, who had a raised brow. She nodded, signaling that she was fine, and was grateful that he was there. The increase in volume also made her head pound, but Brooke could deal with that better than she could deal with the trauma.

"I know now that Deker won't stop until Jayden and Brooke duel him. We have to let them go." Mia demanded, her voice almost monotone. Which was incredibly uncharacteristic for her, and Brooke's eyes flashed as she furrowed her brows at Mia. _Did Dayu do something?_

"Mia, how can you say that?" Kevin wondered, something akin to hurt in his tone as the blue ranger looked at the pink. "Jayden's not just our leader, and Brooke's not just our teammate. They're also the only ones who have sealing powers."

Jayden visibly tensed in his seat, his expression going from slight annoyance to something of guilt. Which was confusing for Brooke, but she pushed it aside. She knew the sealing symbol and cage symbols were going to be brought up, and that was an easy argument to debate. "You're making it seem like we're going to die, Kevin," Brooke stated, letting out a heavy sigh. _"We're not going to let him win._ That wasn't an option since the beginning, and there's no way in hell we're falling to Deker's blade. So, the cage and sealing symbols don't need to be worried about." _I won't end up like Mom. I'm going to survive this war._ Brooke didn't come all this way just to die to Deker, of all people. That just wasn't an option. One, because she made a vow to see this war through, and two, because she just hated Deker. Living a life of spite was bad, but it was what kept Brooke going.

"Jayden, Brooke, you two are the key to stopping the nighlok," Kevin stated, and both red and silver rangers bit back annoyance. For different reasons.

Brooke was just annoyed because she was tired, and she would sneak out of the Shiba House to fight Deker if push comes to shove. This argument wasn't necessary- the window in her room gave her a clear shot to the woods. And once she was in the woods, she could easily lose the team, they weren't the best at navigating it. Well, sans Mike, but still. It would be pretty easy to just leave, fight Deker, and then deal with the consequences. Jayden would surely understand- and Brooke just might get another ten-minute lecture on how she shouldn't fight alone, but that's easy to deal with.

Jayden was annoyed at this damn secret, and he wished people would stop viewing him as some sort of martyr because of a symbol he _didn't even have._ He didn't like being on the pedestal of "the great red ranger", it was something he detested, actually. Once Lauren left- that's all he knew. _He_ was the red ranger. _He_ held the sealing symbol. Which, surprise surprise, was a lie, but Jayden couldn't exactly blurt that out, could he? Sometimes he debated telling Brooke about Lauren, to see what she would say. Speaking of, he was glad the silver ranger was here, and she seemed to notice his flares in temper and step in whenever it happened. It was a nice thing to have. She could get the point across much easier than he could.

"Kev's right," Mike agreed, Brooke raising her eyebrows and Jayden setting his jaw. _God damn, they were all so stubborn._ "We shouldn't risk it." He added, and Brooke didn't have time to respond before Jayden spoke.

"This discussion is over." Jayden declared in a harsh tone, and even Brooke seemed to be taken aback, her eyes flashing as they widened somewhat. He didn't say another word, just leaving the meeting room.

Five pairs of eyes fell on Brooke, who just let out a tired sigh. "I'm going to bed." She muttered, rising from her seat and leaving the meeting room as well. She wanted to comfort Jayden, but Brooke didn't know _how to._ It's not like it would get them very far, as they were both too stressed to have a meaningful conversation anyways.

It would probably just end up like when Brooke almost got killed by Jayden on accident. She stared down at the scar on the palm of her hand, a slight frown on her lips. It wasn't the scar itself, it was the _memories_ associated with it. It was like that with all of her scars, and Brooke let out a heavy sigh as she opened her bedroom door. She didn't even bother with the light, as she preferred to take showers in dim lighting anyway. While her scars could be viewed as "battle scars", Brooke didn't enjoy the trip down memory lane every time she looked at them. Luckily, some of them had faded over the years, she recalled summers where she wore long-sleeved shirts because she couldn't even _look_ at her arms without having some sort of panic attack.

That was incredibly depressing, and Brooke knew that. She knew her life was going downhill, as she had gotten her joy from meeting Jayden and Antonio. Now, she could only watch as they all struggled with heavy weights on their shoulders that they couldn't really ignore. The joy came, then it left. That was a cycle Brooke knew all too well, and she blinked back tears as she used her phone flashlight to find a pair of leggings to wear. She didn't even know _why_ she was crying, but _go figure_. It was bound to happen eventually, the breakdowns were becoming more and more common. Brooke knew she probably needed professional help at this point- but it couldn't happen. While she had been to a psychiatrist and therapists in the past, it wasn't like her life was easy to explain.

Brooke set her clothes on the counter and sat on the bathroom floor, which was becoming a habit. She blinked back tears before they could form, trying to ignore the shaking of her hands as she untied her boots. Kicking them off, Brooke tried to ignore her racing thoughts and pounding head, leaning her head against the wall and letting out a sob. There's no way she could be a power ranger like this. This was a stupid weakness- unbalanced chemicals from a soldier they fucked up making. Brooke _hated it._ She hated that, from the ripe age of four, she was a soldier. A soldier that had panic attacks on her bathroom floor, dreading the fact that she had to fight a battle tomorrow. It was so much easier when she was younger- and Brooke wished for the nights where she and Casper would sit in his bedroom and do nothing in particular. She missed feeling _normal._ Sure, she was still fucked back then- with a slight addiction to alcohol, but, she didn't have to fight in a war.

 _"You are spiraling again, my dear. Deep breaths,"_ Amaris murmured, appearing in a flash of silver. She was flickering like a projection, but Brooke didn't really care. She just wrapped her arms around the white wolf from where she was seated on the bathroom floor, burying her face into Amaris' fur. _"You will make it through this. You always do, and I am right by your side."_ The white wolf reassured the silver ranger, who tightened her hold on Amaris and let out a sob.

After she had calmed down some, Brooke stood up and forced herself to take a shower. Washing the grime away from the day helped, and Brooke cleaned up her blistered finger some. She knew it would heal in a couple of days, at most, thanks to wolf healing abilities and all that. Which was a blessing and a curse, because Brooke never really got _sick,_ but any type of med she took, whether it be a painkiller or antidepressants, she would have to double the dose. And when she had to explain that- people looked at her like she was a druggie. _The perks of being wolf girl._

Jayden's hoodie was comforting, at least, and it was also warm. The only complaint Brooke had was that the smell of his cologne was fading, and it would be awkward for her to _ask._ Still, the red color signaled that it was Jayden's right away, and something about that made Brooke extremely happy. It was the same with Antonio's bracelet, she rarely took it off, and Brooke now had a slight tan line from it. Which was amusing, in its own way. At least she had them by her side.

Throwing her clothes into a hamper and walking out of the bathroom, Brooke frowned at Amaris. The white wolf was asleep, but taking up most of the bed. Another interesting thing about Amaris was the fact that she radiated a faint silver light, and Brooke realized she now had a wolf made out of symbol power as her nightlight. Which wasn't bad, in any means. It was only the times when Amaris took up the bed where she got annoyed.

"Amaris, please move," Brooke urged, nudging the white wolf some. Who cracked open a violet eye and didn't say anything, which caused Brooke to run a clawed hand over her face and let out a sigh. "Amaris, you're taking up the entire bed. Please, I want to go to bed. You can stay, but just let me get in bed." She offered, and Amaris didn't respond vocally.

The white wolf just yawned and changed her position, curling up next to Brooke's side as she got into bed. Brooke instantly threw an arm over Amaris burying her face into the wolf's fur. At the smell of lavender, everything seemed to calm down some, Brooke falling into a light sleep fairly quickly.

* * *

A nightmare woke Brooke up, which wasn't _unusual._ She had gotten somewhat used to the feeling of raw panic as she opened her eyes. The pain-filled ones had stopped a while ago, which just left the normal trauma ones. Or so she thought. Brooke wasn't prepared to see Maxx getting cut down by Deker, and hear his cries for help. She wasn't ready to see her little brother bleed out on the sand and beg for his life. Brooke had done _everything_ to make sure Maxx could have some semblance of a normal life, and she wanted him to. She didn't want him growing up like her at all, because she wasn't doing well, and she wanted to see Maxx happy. She had pretty much raised him since she was twelve and he was ten- and the motherly instinct was still there. It was the urge to protect him from a world that they had been so cruelly thrust into with no recollection of their childhoods.

 _Stop that,_ Brooke chided herself, wiping away her tears with the sleeve of Jayden's hoodie. _Maxx is safe._ She reassured herself that he was, and Deker was going to be dealt with. Still, the underlying fear was still there, and Brooke could feel the rapid pounding of her heart.

Maybe she'll go to Jayden- well, maybe not Jayden. Antonio, most likely, since Jayden was probably still ruffled from the meeting. Brooke didn't blame him, and she calmed herself down enough so that she could take in her surroundings again, instead of being stuck with her racing thoughts. Amaris was curled at her side, her snout tucked under a fluffy white tail and her eyes closed. She was asleep, and something about it made Brooke happy, her having a weak smile on her face as she ran her hand through Amaris' fur. She knew that she was relying on Amaris too much lately, the exhaustion even seemed to be prominent in the white wolf. Brooke knew that Amaris couldn't really get tired- since the wolf was just taking energy out of the silver ranger's symbol power, but still, it made her feel guilty. She didn't know why it just did.

Swinging her legs over the side of her bed, Brooke squinted at the clock on her desk. It wasn't that late, actually, it only being a couple of minutes to nine, but she realized she slept through dinner. Not that she really _cared,_ Brooke tried forcing herself to eat a granola bar and then instantly threw it up due to stress. So, that was that. It's not like she could stomach much, her stomach was in knots, and Brooke _definitely_ couldn't muster up the willpower to eat Mia's cooking. Christ, Brooke cared for the pink ranger, but she was a _horrible cook._ It was almost baffling, at how a person could end up being that bad.

Brooke stood, her eyes adjusting to the darkness of the room. Which wasn't pitch black due to the silver glow of the full moon beaming through her window. Amaris being a nightlight also helped, and Brooke slipped on her vans and left her room. She shut the door behind her and let out a yawn, ruffling her hair some. She just hoped she didn't look _too_ dead inside.

When Brooke walked towards the kitchen, she wasn't surprised when she saw Kevin and Jayden training. Brooke realized that they had both taken moves from each other, and while Jayden didn't do handsprings or anything like that, he was getting better at predicting others' movements. The moves he used to block Kevin's strikes were similar to her own, which was partly amusing and partly interesting. She remembered springing some of the same moves on Jayden when they used to spar together. That was right after she joined the team, and looking back on it, Brooke realized that everything was going by _quickly._ It was going far faster than she would like, which was aggravating. And overwhelming.

Blinking back stress-filled tears, Brooke let out a shaky sigh and tore her attention away from Jayden. Well, he was busy, so hopefully, Antonio wasn't out night fishing or something like that. She wanted someone to talk to, just because she could sit alone with her thoughts anymore without having a mental breakdown. Which wasn't good, and Brooke realized that as she padded towards the direction of the kitchen.

Just by smells alone, it was the four other rangers, plus Ji, and _tea._ Brooke just hung by the doorway, out of sight, getting ready to eavesdrop. Which was bad, yes, but Brooke didn't know what she was walking into. She didn't want to interrupt something super serious, after all. So, she leaned against the wall, growing in her claws and willing them away over and over again. It was a tick, and what she did when she was bored. It was kind of interesting, watching her fingernails grow and shrink.

"Why are we so worried? Jayden and Brooke can beat anyone. They'll be fine." That was Antonio, and Brooke felt a pang of guilt in her heart. She didn't want the others to be worried for her and Jayden, it was all going to be fine. _Hopefully._

That's what was worrying. The doubt, the falter in confidence. Brooke knew all her confidence was pretty much fake anyway, but now she couldn't even shove her worry aside. Deker was an opponent they never had truly fought before, and Brooke was just glad she wasn't doing it alone. Jayden being by her side was relieving but also worrying. She knew she shouldn't worry about him too much, Jayden could keep himself alive, but it was a worry she couldn't shake. So, she didn't necessarily blame the others for being worried, _especially Antonio,_ but it just made Brooke feel extremely guilty.

"Yeah, I'm sure they will." Emily agreed, and Brooke had a hard time picking up the younger girl's voice. It was full of concern, and Brooke wiped away the silent tears that were rolling down her cheeks. She didn't know why she was crying anymore, she just _was._ Brooke wished it would just stop.

"All I know is that Deker needs to be dealt with. And hesitating is a mistake." Mia stated, and Brooke wiped away her tears and let out a shaky sigh.

Mia was right. There could be no hesitation, and Brooke knew she had to do her job. This is what she was made for, getting thrown into battles and hoping to win. _She would win._

Brooke willed away her inhumane features and moved from her hiding spot. She masked her worry with a forced smile, giving off the notion that she was confident. It was easier that way. "I hate to interrupt, but can I borrow Antonio for a bit?" She asked, and Antonio nodded without missing a beat, rising from his seat.

"Everything okay?" Antonio asked quietly as the two walked out of the kitchen.

Brooke let out a heavy sigh and nodded. "Yeah, I just can't be alone with my thoughts right now. Sorry." She apologized, and Antonio shot her a gentle and reassuring smile.

"It's alright, I'm happy to be here," Antonio reassured Brooke, and a small smile grew on her lips. "It's been a long day." He remarked, and Brooke laughed faintly.

The two were now sitting on one of the concrete benches, Brooke having her knees drawn to her chest. "You're not wrong, it's not been the easiest day today." She murmured, turning her attention to the full moon. It was quiet out here, and Brooke was thankful for that. Her headache hadn't gone away with her shower or nap, but now she felt a little better.

"You're overwhelmed, aren't you?" Antonio thought aloud, and Brooke blinked at him in surprise, quirking a brow. "You used to get overwhelmed in stressful situations when we were little. Jayden and I would get into arguments sometimes, and you always just locked yourself in your room." He didn't mention the fact that the arguments were over Brooke, Antonio noticing Jayden's jealousy hadn't changed much over seven years. It was amusing, to an extent.

"You got me," Brooke responded, shaking her head with a small smile. "I think it's the wolf senses, but I can almost _feel_ the stress and worry. And it coming off the six of you, plus my own is a lot to handle. And I've been trying to sleep it off, but I keep having nightmares of Maxx getting killed. So, that's not going well." She confessed, her voice weak. She looked down at her shaky clawed hands, taking a deep breath and willing her claws away.

"That's understandable. But, Deker will be dealt with. You and Jayden are the strongest people I know." Antonio reassured Brooke, who nodded weakly and took his hand with her own shaky one. He let her, squeezing her hand reassuringly.

"Thanks, Goldie. It means a lot." Brooke murmured, resting her head on his arm like she did with Jayden. It was nice, just being around someone who wasn't stressed out of their mind. It was a good change of pace.

Antonio looked down at Brooke with a small smile. "Of course, Brooke. Sparkly ranger union, remember?" He joked, and a happy smile grew on Brooke's lips.

"Hell yeah, sparkly ranger union," Brooke repeated in confirmation with a tired voice, Antonio laughed, turning his gaze to the night sky.

* * *

Jayden put his training sword back in the rack, letting out a sigh. He felt disgusting, and his arms throbbed, but the training did help clear his head. Kevin had left a while ago, presumably going to bed, and Jayden knew he should probably get some rest as well. Tomorrow wasn't going to be easy, he knew that for a fact. At least Brooke was by his side, and it might be a _slight_ bias, but she was a good fighter. Jayden knew she could hold her own fine, so he didn't have to worry about her, as much. He was worried about the fact that Deker got into Brooke's head so easily, but, worrying about it got him nowhere.

"Figured you would still be training," Antonio called to Jayden, brown eyes meeting blue. He had his usual cheerful glimmer in his eyes, which was good. If Jayden got one more concerned look he was going to sleep on a bench again.

"Just finished, actually. Why're you up?" Jayden questioned, subconsciously glancing down at his watch. He then let out a sigh, because it _wasn't there._

"Brooke," Antonio responded, and he knew Jayden's expression of slight jealousy all too well. His brows were slightly furrowed, lips twitching into a frown. It was amusing. "She just needed someone to talk to. It's like when we were kids, she still gets overwhelmed." He explained, and Jayden's expression of jealousy turned into one of slight worry.

"It's gotten a lot more stressful now," Jayden muttered as he walked over to Antonio. He wished that wasn't the case, and they could be ten again, sword fighting with sticks. Back then they didn't have to worry about fighting stances and moves, they just had fun. Jayden, selfishly, wanted it back.

Antonio nodded, and the two walked back to their rooms, footsteps making light taps on the wooden floors. "At least it's still the three of us." He remarked, and Jayden nodded.

"I'm glad it is," Jayden replied, a hint of happiness in his voice. At least he still had them by his side, which was reassuring in a multitude of ways. "Thanks, Antonio." He thanked, and Antonio grinned.

"Well, someone has to pick up the slack here. I'm winning again." Antonio teased, nudging Jayden playfully. They both were referring to Brooke, and Jayden let out a quiet sigh.

"Yeah, yeah," Jayden grumbled, rolling his eyes at Antonio's quiet laughter. "I'm surprised you still _want_ to keep that going. We were ten." He remarked as they stopped at Antonio's door, and Antonio shrugged.

"It's like old times, _mi amigo._ Plus, you still get jealous way too easily. It's funny," Antonio replied, opening his door and shooting Jayden a grin, who responded with a glare. "I'm just saying, it is. 'Night, Jay." He added, and Jayden shook his head with a small smile.

"Goodnight, Antonio," Jayden responded, walking away as Antonio closed his door.

He reached his own bedroom, shutting the door behind him and flicking on the light. Jayden let out a small groan of annoyance. He didn't want to fight Deker, he knew he was playing right into the half-human's hands, but there was no choice. It's not like he or Brooke could back out now, there was too much at stake. It was for the world.

The next morning passed like any other. Some of the stress and tension was still there from last night, but it was far less overwhelming. Jayden was grateful for it, and he and Brooke were the first ones up, actually. They were sitting in their usual seats in the meeting room, Brooke petting Amaris, the white wolf having a look of contentment on her face. Jayden just watched the two, a small smile on his face. At least they could go about things somewhat normally, at least for the time being.

"Are you alright? Antonio told me you had a rough night last night." Jayden asked Brooke, who nodded faintly.

"Yeah, I'm all good. It just got really overwhelming, and I was stressed about a lot of things. Feeling the stress of six samurai rangers plus my own is not a fun experience," Brooke replied, turning her attention from Amaris, who was now laying her head on Brooke's thigh, to Jayden. "Everything's good now, let's just get today over with." She added, and Jayden let out a faint laugh.

He scratched the area between Amaris' ears, and her tail wagged slowly, her closing her violet eyes. "Let's end this." Jayden agreed, partly wishing he could stay like this. With Brooke, just enjoying each other's company

"I think I'm gonna give the moon disk and my power disks to Antonio," Brooke thought aloud, her lips twitching into a frown. "I want you around, Amaris, but I don't know what Deker would think of it. He might throw a bitch fit or something." She explained, and Amaris opened her eyes, sitting up.

 _"It's quite alright, my dear. You are doing what you have to do,"_ Amaris reassured Brooke, nuzzling the silver ranger's cheek. The white wolf then turned her attention to the red ranger, violet eyes shining with something akin to pride. _"You are both strong warriors. If anybody has the ability to strike him down, it is you two."_ She stated, and Jayden felt the corners of his lips twitch.

"Thanks, Amaris. It means a lot." Jayden responded, and Amaris didn't reply, only having a happy twinkle in her violet eyes. She hopped down from her seat, bouncing twice and then leaping through the air, disappearing in a flash of silver.

"She knocked me out of bed this morning," Brooke remarked, shaking her head with a small smile.

Jayden raised his eyebrows, looking at Brooke with his own faint smile. "Oh?" He wondered, and Brooke grinned.

"She's like a dog- I let her sleep on my bed. But, she takes up almost all of it, and there have been multiple times where she's crushed me when I'm trying to sleep," Brooke explained, glad that her plan to turn the conversation to a lighter topic worked. She didn't want to be more stressed out than she already felt. "She helps with the nightmares a lot, I just feel bad waking you up." She confessed, smiling sheepishly that Jayden, who shook his head.

"It's alright, you can wake me up if you need to. I haven't been sleeping that much anyway." Jayden admitted, and Brooke nudged his shoulder with her own weakly.

"Hopefully they'll calm down after all this," Brooke murmured, and then the familiar smell of the ocean filled her nose. "'Morning, Goldie." She greeted, snickering as Antonio jumped in surprise, his eyes landing on the silver and gold rangers.

"Good morning," Antonio returned her greeting with his own. "You two having a war council first thing in the morning?" He wondered, and Jayden shook his head.

"Amaris was here for a little bit," Jayden explained, and Antonio nodded, stifling a yawn with his hand and taking his normal seat. Which was on the seat next to Jayden's, while Brooke sat on the same seat Jayden sat on.

"Speaking of Amaris, I have gifts," Brooke blurted, and Antonio knit his brows, looking at her quizzically. In a flurry of silver particles, three power disks appeared, which were the moon disk, wolf disk, and tiger disk. "The wolf and tiger disks are for the megazords, obviously, but if you wanna summon Amaris, just call her name. You can also talk to her mentally, she can read thoughts and stuff when she wants to," She explained, and when both Jayden and Antonio raised their eyebrows, she laughed. "Yeah, I don't have many secrets with her. But, it's all good. Anyways, just be careful, she uses symbol power, so don't overdo it." Brooke advised, handing the silver, white, and purple disks to Antonio.

Antonio took the three disks, the power disks disappearing in a flash of gold particles. "Thanks, Brooke. I'm sure they'll come in handy." He thanked, and Brooke smiled.

"I'm really hoping something _doesn't happen_ but- knowing our luck, something will," Brooke muttered, her eyes flashing. She still didn't know how to feel about everything, even the day of. Well, all she knew was that there was no turning back now.

* * *

Brooke knocked on Jayden's door, steeling her nerves. She had spent the last couple of hours not doing much of anything, though she did get to call Casper. It was nice, and she made the mental note to see him in person soon because Brooke wanted to be around someone who wasn't the team for a little bit. Not that she disliked the team, but Casper was just _normal._ It was a sense of normalcy.

Jayden opened the door, and Brooke flashed him a small smile. That caused the corners of his mouth to twitch upwards, but he quickly settled back into his usual emotionless expression. "Are you ready?" He asked as he and Brooke walked side-by-side down the hall and towards the back exit.

"As I'll ever be. Let's end this." Brooke answered, but her expression of confidence turned into one of confusion when she and Jayden walked out of the Shiba House. The red and silver rangers shared a look, the two raising their eyebrows slightly, and Brooke's eyes flashing.

 _What the hell is this?_ Brooke thought, taking in the five rangers were lined up in two rows, almost like a service of some sort. They were taking it more seriously than she thought, and something about that was amusing. It was also somewhat concerning, but Brooke knew that all of the rangers had a flair for dramatics sometimes. At least, that's what she told herself because she could _feel_ the stress and worry radiating the five others. Even if they didn't show it, it was still there.

Jayden and Brooke walked down the stairs, the red ranger having a look of determination on his face and the silver just looking somewhat confused. Her eyes were a grey-gold, brows somewhat knit. Why was this happening? Though, it was kinda funny to see Jayden and Mike share a painfully awkward fist bump.

Brooke made eye contact with Antonio, quirking a brow. He just shrugged, a faint smile on his lips, and that caused Brooke to roll her eyes playfully, shaking her head. However, that somewhat playful mood fell when her samuraizer started beeping. Pulling the device out of the pocket of her grey cargo jacket, Brooke flipped it open. "The plaza." She stated, her eyes flashing again. Still, she tried to settle her slight worry, flipping her samuraizer shut and putting it back in her pocket. That wasn't her job right now.

The gap sensor soon started going off as well, Kevin looking at the blaring signal and then Jayden. "A nighlok attack! Jayden, what now?" He questioned, worry shining in his eyes.

"Rhinosnorus is back!" Ji warned, rushing to the door, and Brooke let out a quiet sigh. It was never-ending.

"Here," Jayden answered, holding out his lion disk. This made Brooke realize that she technically had more disks than him now- which caused a childish glee to fill her body. It was stupid, yes, but she felt it, and it was better than the stress.

"I don't understand," Kevin responded, him looking down at the red disk in Jayden's hand and then back up at Jayden with a quizzical expression.

"With this disk, you can form the megazord without me. I need you to lead the team until I get back. I know you can do this." Jayden explained, his voice hard. It was clear that he wasn't giving Kevin a _choice,_ but the blue ranger was still conflicted.

Feeling three other pairs of eyes on her, Brooke turned to the other members of the team. "The tiger and wolf zord disks are with Antonio. So is the moon disk, and she will appear when you are all in peril- if you need her, just call her name. Just be careful, since she's now connected to Antonio's symbol power." She advised, nodding at Antonio, who gave her a thumbs up. The three others nodded as well, looks of relief washing over their faces, which caused Brooke to laugh inwardly. It seems like Amaris had become the mascot of the team.

Kevin was still having a crisis, a conflicted look on his face, and he averted his gaze for a moment. Still, he regained his composure, meeting Jayden's hard gaze. "It'll be an honor," Kevin breathed, taking the disk out of Jayden's hand. The disk disappeared in a flash of blue, and the blue ranger turned his gaze to the rest of the team. "I won't let you down, Jayden! C'mon rangers, let's go stop that nighlok!" He commanded, and Brooke gave Antonio a mock salute with two of her fingers with a grin, which caused him to smile.

With that, the five rangers were off. The silver and red rangers turned their attention to Ji, who gave them the silent nod of confirmation. With the confirmation, Brooke and Jayden started walking, the two rangers sticking close to each other.

The walk was mostly silent, but a couple of minutes in, Brooke felt Jayden nudge her arm. His emotionless expression had broken somewhat, him almost looking shy as he held out a hand. It was him silently asking if he could hold her hand, and Brooke found it _cute._ Taking her hand out of her pocket, she willed her claws away and took Jayden's hand with her own, giving it a reassuring squeeze, which he returned.

When the two rangers reached the beach, they dropped hands. Brooke released some of the tension in her body when she spotted Deker, as Maxx wasn't with him. The half-human was what could be called a _power stance-_ his legs spread shoulder-width apart and his sheathed sword in his hand as he gazed off into the horizon.

Funnily enough, Jayden was _walking_ in a power stance. He was taking long strides down the beach, his jaw set, and hands curled into his fists at his sides. Brooke found it funny but didn't say anything, only hardening her expression. It was _not_ the time for that, but she knew it was her brain's way of coping with the stress. Her heart was beating in overdrive, and Brooke didn't know if it was adrenaline or panic. It was probably a mix of both, and she just hoped it would get her through this battle.

"It took you two long enough," Deker stated when the silver and red rangers walked up, him sounding almost bored. "Still, I knew you'd both come. Just like me, you both need this battle." He turned to face the pair, and Brooke grit her teeth while Jayden tightened his fists.

"No. We're nothing like you, the only thing we need is stopping you from hurting anyone else." Jayden spat, and Brooke let him do all the talking. Deker could get into her head way too easily- and she was trying to prevent that.

"All that matters is that you're both here." Deker chuckled, his fingers wrapping around his sheathed blade. He turned into his nighlok form and drew the blade, and Brooke's eyes flashed as she set her jaw. _It was now or never._

Brooke and Jayden took their samuraizers out of their pockets, flipping the devices open. Brooke activated the brush portion on hers, she and Jayden nodding faintly at each other. _"Samuraizer."_ They both called in unison, slowly drawing the symbols. The silver kanji for wolf and the red kanji for fire hung in front of Brooke and Jayden for a moment. They both activated the symbols, morphing into their suits.

"At last, the time has come." Deker stated, readying his blade, and Brooke narrowed her eyes underneath her silver helmet as she and Jayden settled into fighting stances. The battle was inevitable at this point, so Brooke just got into her usual soldier mindset.

The silver ranger settled into a fighting stance, drawing her katanas and holding them at the ready. Her silver boot dug into the sand, and she broke into a grin underneath her helmet. _I'll strike you down._ "Let's end this." Brooke challenged, her eyes blazing gold.

With that, the battle began. Jayden let Brooke take the lead, noticing the silver ranger seemed to be even faster than usual. Still, they settled into their usual routine, when Jayden blocked Deker's swing, Brooke attacked, and vice versa. It was going pretty smoothly, the two rangers hadn't managed to get hit yet, and Deker seemed to grow annoyed at that.

"You have to do better than that." Deker taunted, but he was still panting.

"It seems to be working pretty well so far." Brooke snapped back, doing a handspring to dodge Deker's wide spring. Jayden instantly took her place, and the sounds of metal hitting metal reverberated around the two rangers and the half-human.

Landing by the water, Brooke, and Jayden seemed to have the same idea. The red ranger led the skeletal nighlok out to the water, where the silver ranger took over. She liked to say she was handling it pretty well, and she _thought_ she was. Keyword: thought. Brooke's bad ankle was starting to throb, and that slowed her movements, which Deker took advantage of. She let out a noise of pain when Deker's sword connected with her ankle. It caused Brooke to fall backwards and land in the water. The water seeped into her ranger suit, and she grit her teeth, rolling out of the way as Deker swung down, attacking the spot where she was moments earlier.

Luckily, Jayden stood in front of Brooke as she got to her feet, getting Deker's attention. She silently thanked the red ranger as her ankle buckled, but tried to ignore it to the best of her abilities. Brooke sprinted in, blocking Deker's swing before it could nick Jayden in the stomach. She retaliated by attacking with her other katana, Jayden slashing with his spin-sword. The two then fell back some, their chests heaving as they tightened their grips on their blades.

"Excellent. Both of your instincts are superb," Deker congratulated, the three readying their swords again. "Both of you are indeed proving to be my equals. I was right to choose you two." He stated, Brooke and Jayden nodding at each other, rushing forward again.

Her ankle buckled, and Brooke stumbled as she blocked Deker's swing weakly. His blade was about to come in contact with her arm when Jayden stepped in, blocking Deker's strike. They were protecting each other in the battle, keeping each other close as they defended each other's weak points. The two rangers eventually got nicked, Brooke in the stomach and Jayden in the shoulder, and it caused both of them to stumble back some. Still, they just shook it off and continued fighting. The pain turned into adrenaline, and Brooke motioned to a small incline with her thumb as she blocked Deker's attack from behind.

"Go, I'm faster than him while I'm in my wolf form," Brooke urged, her chest heaving as she sheathed her blades. When Jayden gave her a look, most likely a concerned one, but Brooke couldn't tell because of the red helmet, she squeezed his shoulder comfortingly. "I'll be fine. Go!" She commanded, and Jayden nodded.

Brooke sprinted forward, shifting. The brown wolf lunged, sparks flying where her claws came in contact with the skeletal nighlok's chest. Gold eyes watched the red ranger sprint up the incline, and wolf-Brooke barked at Deker mockingly. She bounced around, dodging the skeletal nighlok's swings, and was glad her ankle pain didn't transfer over. When she shifted, injuries she had in her human form didn't transfer over to her wolf form, but injuries in her wolf form transferred over to her human form.

Such as now. Wolf-Brooke had successfully led Deker up the incline, but his sword connected with her shoulder. That caused wolf-Brooke to let out a whine, blood starting to stain her brown and white fur. Which was annoying, and Brooke shifted back, rolling under Deker's swing and retaliating with her own strike. The pain in her ankle returned, and she stumbled again, Jayden at her side to block Deker's strike.

"Can you still fight like that?" Jayden asked quietly, concern laced in his tone, and Brooke nodded, panting. The two regrouped, standing a couple feet away from Deker.

"Don't really have a choice. It's alright," Brooke panted, feeling the throb in her ankle and the cut on her shoulder bleeding. That wasn't great, but she had to keep fighting. "I hate to do this to you, but, take the lead. Please." She stated, and Jayden nodded.

"It's alright, you're doing great." Jayden praised, and Brooke felt herself flush underneath her helmet. She just nodded, and the fight began again.

Jayden had led Deker to the edge of the cliff. His swordsmanship was great, the lack of stable footing he had wasn't. Brooke sheathed one of her katanas, blocking Deker's attack from behind and pooling her strength into her arms, lightly tossing Jayden away from the edge. Then, Brooke spun on her heel, ducking under Deker's swing and drawing her other katana, performing two uppercuts in rapid succession. Her attacks caused him to stumble back some, and Brooke took the chance to regroup with Jayden again.

"I've waited for this ultimate duel for so long, and you have not disappointed me!" Deker had something akin to relief in his tone, and Brooke blocked his attack while Jayden retaliated.

Despite it being two-on-one, Deker was a strong opponent, and Jayden would give him that. But, that was all. "Haven't you had enough?" He spat, he and Brooke leading Deker to the cliff edge again.

Jayden surprisingly got hit in the wrist, and he made a noise of pain. Brooke blocked a most likely finishing blow, her skidding back from the knockback some. Loose rocks tumbled down the cliff into the ocean below, and she felt herself pale somewhat. One wrong step and she could end up like one of those rocks. The pain in her ankle did _not_ make Brooke confident in her balance, but she just tried not to think about plunging to her death. Instead, she grinned when she saw an opening. Jayden seemed to notice it too, and the two rangers shared a discreet nod.

Brooke let herself get hit, both of her katanas flying out of her hand and landing in the grass. That caused her wrists to hurt some, but they weren't broken or anything like that. Right now, she just had to put her plan in motion.

"You two are truly worthy opponents, but now I shall defeat you two and bring this to an end." Deker sounded triumphant, and it made Brooke grit her teeth.

She spied Jayden out of the corner of her eye, and she nodded at him. "Let's end this, then!" Brooke yelled, and Jayden rushed forward. The red ranger blocked Deker's swing, and the silver grinned. She unsheathed her Wolf Kunai from the holder on her belt, performing an uppercut. The attack caused Deker to stumble back some, Brooke and Jayden tightening their grips on their weapons. It was almost.

"What?" Deker choked out, and he raised his sword some.

"Brooke!" Jayden called out, and Brooke nodded, noticing that he had his sword in his non-dominant hand. Still, he was holding his own just fine.

The silver and red rangers let out yells that were a battle cry. The two swung downward, cutting Deker's sword into three pieces. The tip flew over the cliff and into the ocean, while the main body of the sword landed on the grass. Deker was panting, and Brooke and Jayden moved back some, holding their weapons at the ready.

"A masterful move," Deker announced, breathing heavily and groaning with each step. "You made it seem like you were defenseless, allowing me to injure you so you could get close enough to attack me. While I was taken by surprise, you both used your full strength to deliver the finishing blows. Well fought, red and silver rangers. You have honored me, and freed me from my torment," He was dangerously close to the cliff, and both Brooke and Jayden knew what was going to happen next. As Deker fell, the two rangers heard him breathe his final words.

_"Thank you."_

The two just stood there for a couple of moments, catching their breaths. Then, Jayden and Brooke sheathed their blades, their ranger suits disappearing in flashes of red and silver. Brooke tried to walk, but she heard the faint _crack_ and felt her ankle give out. Jayden tried to offer himself as support, but he somehow lost his balance, the two landing on the ground with dull _thuds._

"Christ," Brooke groaned, feeling the adrenaline leave her body and get replaced with pain. "That's a way to end things. I feel like I should apologize for that one." She joked, pushing herself off of the ground so that she was sitting next to Jayden in an upright position.

"We won," Jayden responded with a small smile, and Brooke's eyes flashed, a genuine smile appearing on her face.

"Shit, yeah. We did, huh?" Brooke remarked, and Jayden rolled his eyes playfully. They were both covered in dirt, and Brooke was partly soaked thanks to her unwelcomed fall in the ocean.

Jayden didn't seem to mind, using his uninjured hand to cradle Brooke's cheek. He noticed the way she somewhat nuzzled into his touch, and let out a faint laugh. "You're cute." He murmured, caressing Brooke's cheek with his hand. Jayden knew he was going to be kicking himself tomorrow for this but, _fuck it._ He pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead, and Brooke made a noise of shock.

She wasn't complaining, but it was just somewhat startling. Brooke felt heat rush to her face because there was so much _affection_ behind that one kiss to her forehead, and she wanted to cry. Why? She didn't really know, perhaps the adrenaline dump.

Jayden felt the tears and felt his eyes widen. "I didn't make you uncomfortable, did I? I'm sorry-" He started, but Brooke cut him off with a watery laugh, shaking her head.

"You're good, Red. It was nice- it's just the adrenaline dump, I think. All good things." Brooke reassured Jayden, who nodded and had a gentle smile on his face as he wiped some of her tears away.

The two then just sat in comfortable silence, Brooke resting her head on Jayden's shoulder. His arm that didn't have the injured wrist was around her waist, him feeling as Brooke's breathing evened out and surprisingly _slowed_. "Hey, you're falling asleep." Jayden pointed out, and Brooke opened her eyes, puffing out her cheeks slightly.

"Prime nap opportunity, Red. It's not like you can go anywhere at the moment," Brooke replied, exhaustion present in her tone, and she closed her eyes again. "I want you around for my after-battle nap, y'know? You're nice to have around." She murmured, letting out a yawn, and Jayden almost _let_ her fall asleep on his shoulder.

But, it wasn't needed, because, in a flash of silver, Amaris appeared. The white wolf wagged her tail happily, licking Brooke and Jayden's cheeks in a greeting. _"I am happy to see that you are both alright."_ She stated, the joy present in her tone, and Brooke raised her head, a weary smile on her face.

"Heya, Amaris. Was everything okay with the team?" Brooke asked as she pet Amaris, Jayden removing his hand from around Brooke's waist so that he could pet the wolf with his uninjured hand and wrist.

 _"Everything went smoothly, no injuries or anything of the sort,"_ Amaris answered, and Jayden visibly relaxed at that. He was glad that his plan of Kevin leading the team was successful, it made him feel less guilty about having to go fight Deker. _"They are on their way."_ She added, and if on cue, the five other rangers appeared. Antonio slid some, and that caused Brooke and Jayden to share a look of amusement.

"Jayden, Brooke!" Emily called, and Brooke quirked a brow at the concern in her tone.

 _"They are both injured, but nothing that could threaten their lives. There is no need to worry."_ Amaris answered the rangers' silent question, both Brooke and Jayden muttering "thanks, Amaris" under their breaths. The white wolf seemed to find amusement in that, as her tail wagged slowly.

"And Deker?" Mia questioned, and Brooke motioned to the cliff with her thumb. She also felt the blood coating her cut shoulder, but it was fine. She felt like bringing it up would cause the team to lose their shit even more.

"He went for a dive after we defeated him," Brooke answered, and the six other rangers raised their eyebrows at her choice of words. "Did I stutter? No. Anyways, for a more formal answer, he's gone. We won, as you can tell." She added, motioning to herself and Jayden, who nodded. They all noticed the relief that was in her tone, and the slight _pride,_ which was somewhat concerning.

Brooke saw Antonio look at the sky, _almost gratefully,_ and she raised a brow at him, a grin on her face. He crouched down next to her, grabbing her upper arm and helping her stand. _"Gracias a Dios,"_ Antonio remarked, only so Brooke could hear- and she didn't know Spanish, so, that was that. "Let's get you two home." He stated, holding out a hand to Jayden, who took it.

It was some struggle, but the team made it down the incline. Brooke just ended up being on Antonio's back, her falling asleep, and Amaris padded at their sides. Mike noticed this and let out a low whistle. "She's out fast. It's been like five minutes at most." He pointed out, and Jayden glanced at Brooke. She looked peaceful, and it was the first time in a while he's seen her look so stress-free. It made him happy.

 _"She feels relief. I am surprised you are not in the same state, Jayden."_ Amaris commented, and Jayden let out a faint laugh.

He wanted to be asleep, the exhaustion hit him like a freight train. "We're getting there, Amaris," Jayden replied, a weary smile on his lips. His entire body throbbed, but he felt significantly less stressed already. It was freeing.

* * *

After taking a shower and getting her ankle set in place by Mia, Brooke took a much-needed shower, watching the dirt and blood mix with the soap and flow down the drain. Once she felt significantly cleaner, she got dressed in a grey long-sleeved shirt and jeans, ruffling her hair some. Slipping on her vans, Brooke heard her stomach growl at the smell of fish.

Her ankle still throbbed, and Brooke didn't feel like dealing with it. So, she shifted, padding to the outdoor dojo. Wolf-Brooke instantly got intercepted by Amaris, and soon, happy barks filled the area, the brown wolf's golden eyes shining bright. The two wolves shared a greeting, Amaris nuzzling wolf-Brooke, and then the brown wolf padded over to the four male rangers.

"That's a big fish." Brooke blurted, raising her eyebrows at the cooked fish. She stood next to Jayden, and his arm was in a sling, but other than that, he was relatively unharmed. Which made her happy, and she flashed him a small smile, which he returned.

"Dude, that fish went megamode." Mike commented, and Antonio grinned, pride in his eyes. Which was endearing, and even Amaris seemed impressed by the fish, sitting on her haunches next to Brooke.

"Hey, when I serve a fish to my friends, it's gotta be the best. That's the gold standard," Antonio stated, and Brooke raised an eyebrow when he grinned at her. "It's no rare steak for our dear wolf, but I hope it will suffice." He teased, and Brooke rolled her eyes with a grin.

"You should pursue a career in comedy, Goldie. I have a feeling you'll make headlines." Brooke retorted, her eyes flashing playfully, and both Amaris and Jayden watched in amusement as the two bickered playfully. It reminded Jayden of when they were ten, and he almost saw Brooke's long pigtails and grey dress again.

Eventually, the banter subsided, and as Antonio, with the help of Mike and Kevin, set up for dinner, Jayden turned his attention to Brooke. "How're you?" He asked, and Brooke hooked her thumbs on her belt loops, smiling faintly.

"Alive. Safe. Happy," Brooke answered, watching as Mike did something to make Kevin annoyed, the green ranger's laughter carrying across the dojo. She then turned her attention to Jayden, grinning. "How are you, my dear red ranger?" It was a flirtatious tease, and Brooke _really_ hoped she didn't overstep her boundaries with that one.

Luckily, despite the pink rising to his cheeks, Jayden smiled. "The same. Happy you're here." He remarked, and Brooke winked at him before breaking into a genuine smile.

"I'm happy to be here and to have you by my side. Thanks, Red, for everything. I feel like I don't say it enough." Brooke replied, and Jayden noticed the pink that dusted her cheeks, it being barely visible.

"Of course," Jayden replied, and the two rangers turned their head to the table when Mike called their names. Mia and Emily had also helped set up for dinner, and Brooke did _not_ like the playful look the two girls were giving her.

"Jayden! Brooke!" Mike called through a mouthful of food. That caused Kevin to smack his shoulder lightly, Brooke and Jayden raising their eyebrows. After swallowing his food, Mike continued. "Quit flirting and come eat!" He teased, with a grin, winking at Jayden, who responded with a deadpan expression.

Matching shades of pink were on Brooke and Jayden's cheeks, but still, they regained their composure and walked over. They sat in their usual seats next to each other, and after a couple of minutes, everything was back to normal. The banter at the table was light until Brooke spoke up, the silver ranger playing with her now empty cup.

"I just want to apologize for the turn of events today," Brooke started, her claws scratching the plastic cup some. "Goldie and Red know, but Deker threatened to pick my little brother as my opponent if I didn't show. That's why I was so quick to act, and I just wanted to apologize for it." She remarked, her face burning and her eyes flashed.

"It's okay, Brooke. He forced your guys' hands." Emily reassured Brooke, the yellow ranger smiling at the silver.

"You both did what you had to do." Mike agreed, and Jayden nodded.

"Maybe. But there's still much to do, and we won't jeopardize the mission again." Jayden vowed, and Brooke let him speak on her behalf. He was much better at the team talks than she was, surprisingly enough.

Kevin let out a heavy sigh, knitting his brows slightly. "Deker's gone, but Master Xandred is still out there. Until he's defeated, nobody's safe." He stated what all the rangers knew.

Ji said nothing, only pulling the black box from his robes. Antonio looked up from where he was shoving a piece of bread into his mouth and nodded confidently. Still, Brooke felt the rising stress levels and did _not_ want to be overwhelmed again, so she knew she had to lighten the mood somehow.

"We're the generation of samurai rangers the world's been waiting for," Brooke stated confidently, breaking into a grin. "If anyone can take down Xandred, it's us." She added, and Amaris hopped onto one of the empty seats, her fluffy ears flicking.

 _"You are all amazing warriors in your own strengths. You all shall continue getting stronger, and overcome any hardships that are thrown at you. You seven embody the spirit of samurai rangers, which is something I haven't seen in a long time."_ Amaris praised, her violet eyes shining with pride, and Brooke ruffled the fur in between her ears.

"As rangers, it's our responsibility to save the world from the nighlok. I'm just grateful we don't have to do it alone," Jayden discreetly reached for Brooke's hand under the table, and she grabbed his. His thumb ran over her knuckles in a comforting sort of manner, and Brooke had a small smile of contentment on her face. They then dropped hands, Jayden's blue eyes shining with a faint joy.

"Rangers together-" Jayden started the call, and the seven samurai rangers put their fists in the middle of the table. They all shared grins and smiles with each other, finishing the call in unison.

_"Samurai Forever!"_

With the call, both Brooke and Jayden felt the weight they carried on their shoulders decrease somewhat. It wasn't going to be easy, but Brooke knew she would survive this war- and _win._ She was going to do it with the team at her side and broke into a happy smile.

For the first time in the five years that Brooke remembered- she was home.

* * *

**a/n: and that wraps up samurai! I'll be diving straight into super samurai with the next chapter, so get ready. I'm also going to throw in Clash of the Red Rangers somewhere in the main story- just because I think it would be a fun thing to write for.**

**Thanks for keeping up with Weight of the World for twenty chapters and over two months, I started writing this completely as a self-indulgent thing, and to see it come so far makes me really happy. So, thank you all so so much. It means a lot.**


	21. let's go super (samurai)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brooke learns that Jayden doesn't know how to climb a tree, the team struggles against a mutated nighlok.

The next few days went by peacefully, surprisingly enough. Both Jayden and Brooke felt significantly less stressed with Deker gone, and the silver and red rangers soon settled back into their usual routines. Even with the lessened stress, they knew the world wasn't safe yet. The war was far from over, so the two continued doing their jobs to the best of their abilities. The team had noticed the way Brooke and Jayden had gotten closer to each other- if that was even possible, them having small smiles on their faces whenever each other was around. The five other rangers found this slightly amusing, as their leader and the girl who _has_ worked herself to the point of exhaustion, shared an almost romantic bond. They hadn't seen anything yet, but they all made a plan to catch the silver and red rangers in the act.

Brooke let out a groan of annoyance as she hit the ground with a _thud._ She shot a glare at the cage symbol from where it was written in the archives, picking herself up off of the ground. While she could stay on her feet most of the time, the symbol liked to catch her off guard and send her tumbling to the floor again. The lack of progress was frustrating, and Brooke tried not to compare herself to Antonio, but the gold ranger seemed to be programming the black box at record time. And she couldn't even get the symbol to stay in the air most of the time.

Shaking her head, Brooke's eyes flashed as she tried to push those thoughts aside. Her and Antonio were in vastly different situations, _but_ the black box probably took more symbol power. _Agh._ "Enough, Brooke," The silver ranger muttered to herself, rooting her sneakered feet on the ground. She flipped open her samuraizer, activating the brush portion and moving to draw the symbol again. _"Symbol Power: Strength!"_ She called, drawing the symbol in the air.

It hung in the air for a couple of seconds, Brooke's expression turning into one of hope. But it quickly fell as the symbol fizzled out in silver sparks, Brooke running a clawed hand over her face. Silently cursing the cage symbol with every word she could come up with, she looked down at the samuraizer in her hand. Compared to the teams', it had seen _much_ better days. Some of the paint had chipped off, and there were scratches from Brooke's claws. Or her mom's, Brooke couldn't really tell.

Still, Brooke resisted the urge to throw her samuraizer across the room. The lack of progress was frustrating and somewhat worrying. She knew she had to start trying harder- but she knew Jayden would have her head if she overworked herself. It was a thin line between working hard and overexertion, and Brooke found herself crossing that line more than she liked. Still, she would do what it takes, and if that meant overexertion, _so be it._ She rooted her feet to the ground and started drawing the symbol again.

The rangers, sans the silver and red, were actually out enjoying themselves. Jayden had the ability to, actually, but he opted to stay with Brooke instead, and he had ignored the knowing look Mike gave him. Brooke found it endearing, but now she didn't even know where the red ranger _was._ She had holed herself in the room where she worked on mastering the cage symbol, well, now the strength symbol, shortly after training started, and Brooke _wished_ she could be doing something actually enjoyable with Jayden. But, that wasn't the case, for a multitude of reasons.

It was a race against the clock to get the symbol mastered before Xandred rose again, and Brooke knew that. She tried to not let that fact stress her out _too much,_ trying to ignore the fact that the fate of the world rested on her shoulders. Still, with Deker gone, there was only one main stressor, and Brooke found herself slowly climbing out of her depressive episode. Which lasted a couple of weeks, but still. Her anxiety and general fear got replaced with determination, and Brooke vowed not to let the team down. _Not like her mom did._

 _"Strength!"_ Brooke activated the symbol, squeezing her eyes shut as she tensed, bracing herself for the symbol's self-destruction. It didn't happen, and she cracked open a grey-gold eye.

の, strength, just floated in the air in silver. Brooke relaxed the tension in her body and lowered her samuraizer, quirking a brow at the symbol. She slowly walked over to it, and soon, it disappeared in a flash of silver, instead of it just fizzling out. That caused Brooke to let out a quiet cheer, a happy smile growing on her face. _Two out of the three mastered._ The last symbol was despair- which was the most worrying one, but Brooke pushed that aside. A new sense of pride filled her, and her first reaction was to find Jayden.

Which is what she did, actually. Brooke picked up the archive and strolled out of the room. After making a quick pit-stop to her room and throwing her archive and samuraizer on her bed, she went hunting down Jayden. He had gotten a haircut- and Brooke _maybe_ had a slight crisis over it, because Jayden did look cute with shorter hair. Amaris had instantly teased her for it, and Brooke just kept those thoughts to herself. What she felt for Jayden was _strange,_ for lack of a better term. She had crushes on people before- and had dated people before, but with Jayden, it was different. Not that Brooke really minded, it was a good feeling, even if she didn't really know what it was. She just accepted the feelings and didn't act on them, and she also noticed that Mia and Emily were asking her for her opinion on Jayden more. And she _knew_ the underlying question, but Brooke just deflected it. Her feelings were much better stuffed down, especially slight romantic feelings for her leader.

She found Jayden training in the outdoor dojo, which wasn't surprising. He didn't seem to notice her, lost in his own little world, and it caused Brooke to grin. Making sure his back was turned towards her, she quickly made her way over to the rack of training swords. She pulled one out of the rack, Brooke's footsteps silent as she walked closer to Jayden, her grin growing wider.

Once she got close enough, Brooke jumped up, raising the training sword over her head. "Surprise!" She yelled, performing a downwards strike.

Jayden instantly spun on his heel, making a quiet noise of surprise as he barely blocked Brooke's strike. That's when the unspoken sparring match began, the sounds of the training swords _whacking_ against each other filling the outdoor dojo. As he blocked another one of Brooke's swings, Jayden realized how much he missed _this._ Having his usual sparring partner back, and her having a mix between a grin and a happy smile on her face. It was nice.

Brooke ducked under Jayden's swing, the silver ranger kicking the red in the chest lightly. She instantly ran up and went to perform the finishing blow, but he regained his composure quickly. He blocked Brooke's swing, her eyes flashed as she pursed her lips.

 _Two can play at this game, Red,_ Brooke thought, her grin returning.

She performed a backwards handspring, landing a couple of feet away from Jayden. He wasted no time, moving to attack again, and Brooke let out a noise of surprise as he grabbed her wrist. He twisted her wrist just enough so that the training sword fell to the ground, but it wasn't painful. Jayden noticed the way Brooke's claws grew in subconsciously, but she instantly willed them away, throwing a punch that he dodged. Using his hold on her wrist as momentum, Jayden swung Brooke around so that her back was pressed against his chest, his training sword hovering in front of her throat.

Brooke didn't want to admit it- but she wasn't complaining that Jayden had her in this position. Something about it was _attractive_ , and she shoved that thought aside as soon it formed. That was a wrong thought process to be having, and Brooke knew that, so she ignored the heat rising to her cheeks. _"Christ,"_ she thought to herself, eyes flashing. _"I know you can read my thoughts, Amaris. Don't say a word."_ Brooke warned, and the white wolf's laughter rang through her head in response.

"That's the first time in a while I've beaten you," Jayden remarked, and Brooke looked up at him, rolling her eyes with a faint smile.

"You sound awfully proud of yourself," Brooke commented, reaching up and ruffling his hair. It was somewhat sweaty, but she enjoyed the way Jayden's cheeks dusted pink. "It's also been the first time in a while I've sparred against you." She added, stepping away when Jayden lowered his training sword.

"I missed it," Jayden blurted, feeling heat rush to his cheeks. That wasn't he meant to say, and he really wished he _didn't._ "I mean- sparring against you. I- I enjoy having you around." He stammered and slightly cringed at that as well. He realized he had dug himself a hole, and Jayden mentally prepared himself for Brooke's teasing routine.

But, it never came "I miss it too, I forgot how much fun it was," Brooke agreed with a small smile, picking the training sword off of the ground and spinning it in her hand. "I mastered another symbol today." She announced, and Jayden raised his eyebrows.

"Strength, right?" Jayden asked, and when Brooke nodded, he flashed her a small smile. "You're doing great, just don't overwork yourself." He advised, and Brooke chewed on her bottom lip, her eyes flashing.

"I know I shouldn't, but I don't want to let you guys down, and it's pretty much a race against the clock at this point," Brooke confessed, smiling sheepishly, and Jayden shook his head, the red ranger walking over to the silver.

"You're not going to let us down, Brooke. It's okay to take care of yourself, I want you to." Jayden reassured Brooke, who opened her mouth to respond. However, she was cut off by Jayden's samuraizer ringing, and he knit his brows as he walked over to it. "Everything okay?" He greeted, accepting the call, and he and Brooke shared a confused look.

 _"Somewhat,"_ Mike answered, and Brooke could easily pick up on the green ranger's voice thanks to her hearing. _"There's a huge puddle of Sanzu River water near the plaza. You and Brooke should come check it out."_ He explained, and Jayden set his jaw, blue eyes narrowing somewhat.

Well, there goes the day he was enjoying. Out of all the things _, Sanzu water_ as well, and he felt the tension headache forming. Just hearing that the water had seeped into the human world stressed him out enough. "We'll be right there," Jayden replied, his voice hard, and he ended the call. "I take it you heard that?" He asked Brooke as he put his training sword back in the rack, her nodding.

"Hell water, my favorite," Brooke cheered sarcastically, her voice almost monotone. "Time to go save the world again, Red." She stated, and Jayden nodded, the two rushing into the Shiba House.

They both got changed into their street clothes quickly, Jayden waiting for Brooke at the front door. They then started their power walk to the plaza, the two rangers having solemn expressions on their faces. Brooke really didn't _want_ to do this, because she knew that they were going to have to fight some sort of nighlok today. Which was a part of the job, but the constant bruises got exhausting after a while. Still, she was a soldier, and this was her job. This was going to be her job until the war ended, so Brooke just bared through it. At least she had Jayden and Antonio by her side, she was thankful for that. She also realized her promise to take her two childhood friends out to dinner got broken- and she made a mental note to try that _again_ someday. But, knowing their luck, it wasn't going to be anytime soon.

* * *

When Brooke and Jayden reached the plaza, Kevin instantly noticed them. The blue ranger rose from where he was crouched next to the pool of Sanzu River water, partially jogging to the silver and gold rangers. "Jayden, Brooke." Kevin greeted, and Jayden set his jaw, Brooke's eyes flashing.

"How bad is it?" Jayden asked without missing a beat, and Brooke jogged towards the rest of the team.

"You're going to have to take a look and judge for yourself," Kevin answered, and that caused Jayden to let out a quiet sigh as he felt his head start to pound. Not even five minutes in and he wanted this to be over.

The smell of nighlok- death and rotten milk, instantly filled her senses, and Brooke visibly gagged. Still, she just focused breathing out of her mouth as she crouched down next to the large puddle of Sanzu water. She stared at her own reflection, taking in her grey-gold eyes and somewhat pale face. She had never seen _this much_ Sanzu water before, and Brooke knew that this wasn't a good sign. The red water bubbled, and Brooke wrinkled her nose as Jayden crouched next to her.

"I was afraid this would happen," Jayden muttered, his voice so quiet that only Brooke could hear him. He picked up a small twig that was lying on the ground, and when the twig came in contact with the Sanzu water, it instantly burst aflame. "Sanzu River water." The red ranger concluded, and the five others grimaced somewhat.

"This is _not_ good," Kevin stated the obvious, and Brooke rose from her crouch, taking two steps back.

The smell was so potent it was making her head spin, but Brooke tried to not let that show. She just swallowed past her bile and hooked her thumbs on the belt loops of her jeans. Throwing up right now would be _embarrassing_ , and Brooke didn't feel like dealing with that. So, she just silently thanked Jayden for wearing cologne and focused on that smell. Smoke and a forest was better than death and rotten milk by a long shot.

"We've seen the Netherworld break throw to ours before." Emily pointed out, a look of confusion on her face.

"I know, but this much water is really dangerous," Jayden explained, and Brooke turned her attention away from the pool.

The smell of nighlok _couldn't_ be escaped, it was suffocating the whole area. However, Brooke tried, her military boots making no noise on the pavement. Her gaze fell on another pool, which Sanzu water seemed to be coming from. "Amaris." She called softly, and the white wolf appeared in a flash of silver.

 _"It has been many years since I have last seen a pool this large,"_ Amaris commented, wrinkling her snout at the smell.

Brooke crouched down and started petting the wolf, her eyes flashing as she chewed on her bottom lip. Sanzu water was pretty much _arson_ water, and if any living thing came into contact with it… Well, it wouldn't be pretty. This whole thing wasn't pretty, and Brooke shared a concerned look with Jayden as the rest of the team walked over.

"Last time this happened, Mentor said it was a sign that the nighlok was getting stronger." Kevin thought aloud, and Brooke ran a clawed hand over her face.

"As we get stronger, so do they. They can't make things easy for us," Brooke muttered under her breath, and then her eyes widened. "Footprints," She exclaimed, and she jogged over to the footprints, Amaris at her side. "They smell fresh, and they don't look like any animal I know, so a nighlok must've been here recently." She concluded, and Amaris' ears flicked in agreement. The asphalt sizzled when it came in contact with the Sanzu water, and it felt like Brooke's nostrils were burning. Amaris seemed to feel the same way, as her tail dropped somewhat, the white wolf taking some steps back.

"Oh yeah, I forgot you could smell this kinda stuff," Mike blurted, and Brooke felt the corners of her mouth twitch. "How you holdin' up, miss werewolf? You look a little pale." The green ranger asked the silver, who glanced at the footprints and then back at the five other rangers.

"Truthfully, it smells really fucking bad, but, there's nothing that can really be done about it," Brooke shrugged, noticing Jayden's somewhat concerned look. "I'll be fine, let's just focus on the task at hand." She urged, directing the "I'll be fine" at Jayden, as his blue eyes shone with worry. He seemed to be unconvinced but didn't say anything, which Brooke was somewhat grateful for, because it's not like she could bench herself. She just tried not to choke and dealt with it.

"Let's follow them," Jayden commanded, and the team nodded, him walking side-by-side with Brooke, who had Amaris at her other side. "Are you sure you're doing alright? You too, Amaris. I know you both have better senses of smell than us." Concern was present in his tone, and Amaris' tail flicked, violet eyes shining with something akin to motherly love.

 _"I am quite alright, Jayden. There is no need to worry, and Brooke is doing fine."_ Amaris answered for herself and Brooke, as the silver ranger seemed to be in her own little world.

She pulled her samuraizer out of the front pocket of her light grey Hawaiian shirt, flipping it open. Brooke brought up the map of Panorama, and she instantly stopped in her tracks. Her, now gold, eyes widened slightly. "Red, we might be in deep shit." She warned, and Jayden peered at the map.

There were numerous dark red splotches, signaling Sanzu water, and some were bigger than others. Jayden felt his head pound in tune with his heart, so, that was great. "I shouldn't be saying this, but, you might be right." He joked weakly, trying to quell some of the stress he now felt. He knew it was only to go downhill from here, so he just mentally prepared himself for _that_ trainwreck.

 _"I am able to find the largest sources, it will just take some time."_ Amaris offered, and both Brooke and Jayden crouched down so that they were eye level with her, smiling weakly.

"That would be great, thanks Amaris." Jayden thanked, and Brooke nodded, ruffling the silver and white fur in between Amaris' ears.

 _"There is no need to thank me,"_ Amaris responded, nuzzling Brooke and Jayden's cheeks. _"Just hold faith, things will be alright."_ She reassured the two rangers, then bouncing in place twice and leaping through the air. In a flash of silver, she was gone, and Brooke shook her head with a weak smile as she and Jayden rose to their feet.

"I love that wolf _so much_. She's great. Getting poisoned the first time was worth it, just for her." Brooke joked, flipping her samuraizer shut and putting it back into her pocket.

"Hopefully the poisonings will be over with," Jayden stated as the two started walking again.

Brooke looked at Jayden with a small grin. "I mean, I don't know about _you_ , but it was- hey, that's mean." She cut the joke off when Jayden shoved her some, and he just raised his eyebrows in response to her playful glare. Rolling her eyes, the playful atmosphere dropped when the two reached the team again.

"These footprints are definitely nighlok," Mike concluded, pointing at a footprint for emphasis. "I mean unless there's some weird shifter?" He speculated, and Brooke shook her head.

"That's not possible, for a multitude of reasons," Brooke quickly shut the idea down, and the team watched in amusement as she went into what they called "teacher mode". It was when she knew a lot about a subject, sort of just rambling on, and nobody really stopped her. Jayden found it cute, in actuality. "Reason number one, shifting only runs in the Wolfe bloodline, and it technically died with my mom, if you're not counting the whole experimentation thing. Reason number two, shifters are only wolves, since the whole thing arose due to the original silver ranger failing to harness the wolf symbol power. And, finally, shifters are still _human,_ just partially _._ If I decided to take a dive into some hell water, I'd get crisped, just like any of you." The silver ranger explained, and the rest of the rangers grimaced at her use of an example. Still, it got the point across.

"But no gap sensor went off." Mia pointed out, and Jayden shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I don't think it came through a gap recently. It's most definitely been here a while." Jayden mused, his lips twitching into a slight frown. From the look Brooke was giving him, she was thinking the same thing. It was most likely the nighlok that got away- the one that they had to fight after getting poisoned and saved by Deker.

Kevin instantly perked up, a figurative lightbulb turning on over his head. "That means the nighlok is using the pools to keep from drying out!" He blurted, and Brooke rolled her eyes in a teasing manner.

"Glad to see we're all on the same page now," Brooke joked, then her playful attitude fell as she glanced at the footprints. "The scent's faint, but still there. Let's go." She urged, and before the others could say anything, she was off.

"I suppose she's the girl for a tracking job." Mike joked, and Brooke grinned weakly.

"It's what I was made for, after all," Brooke replied, but there was a hint of bitterness to her tone as she scanned the area. "We're taking a walk through the woods today." She summarized, honing on the scent and moving again quickly.

* * *

Luckily, there was a trail in the woods, and the nighlok seemed to have taken the trail. Which was nice for Brooke, because while she and presumably Mike were stable footed in the forest, she knew the others weren't. Her and Jayden tried to go through a walk in the woods once, and he had stumbled so many times, which was kind of cute. The pink that had dusted his cheeks when he regained his balance was cute, and Brooke hoped she could just have a normal day with him one day.

"Would this lead to Greensbrook?" Mia wondered, and Brooke shook her head.

"That would be six hours of walking, and I'm sure the nighlok couldn't have gotten that far," Brooke replied as she sniffed the air and changed her course again, the five other rangers following her. "It's much farther than the city, so I'm guessing this'll lead to the suburbs or something like that. Besides, if a nighlok showed in Greensbrook, I'll know." She added, knowing Casper would most definitely tell her if something like a nighlok showed up. Brooke didn't remind him every time they saw each other for nothing.

 _"Six?"_ Emily echoed, and Brooke nodded, her mouth set into a thin line.

"11pm to 5am, give or take, but we didn't really break much," Brooke responded, not turning to face the team. "And that was _after_ running a mile in the woods. It was a really fun night." She muttered sarcastically, remembering the fear in her body that night. The night she left James' for good was a night Brooke wouldn't forget anytime soon. Not that it was really happy memories- it was more bittersweet now. "It was a lot of adrenaline and energy drinks, Maxx and I were both pretty much buzzing with anxiety and caffeine the entire night." She recalled, laughing weakly at the memory of a twelve-year-old Maxx wrinkling his nose and sticking out his tongue at the taste of a red bull.

Brooke also remembered crying in the shower out of relief when she reached Mary's. The next couple of days she woke up there- she felt so _stress-free_ , and finally felt safe somewhere other than Casper's. It was a feeling Brooke somewhat missed.

"We're glad you're here, Brooke," Mia stated, and Brooke stopped in her tracks for a moment, an unrecognizable expression coming over her face.

Her eyes flashed multiple times before landing on their normal grey, Brooke breaking into a small, genuine smile. "Thanks for letting me be here." She replied, her voice soft, and then continued on like it never happened.

The team went into their usual banter, Mike making fun of Kevin for his usual strictness about being a samurai. Emily was telling Mike to be nice, and Mia was chiming in from time to time, even suggesting to make dinner. (The team shut that idea down very quickly). Jayden and Brooke were quiet for the most part, the silver ranger leading the charge while the red hung back some. It was almost like they were a group of friends- not soldiers in a war. They may be hunting down a nighlok, but still. The level of friendship the six had with each other was nice. Antonio was presumably working on the black box, but Brooke wished he was here. She felt bad, because that's all he really did now, and she knew that feeling all too well. Still, Antonio seemed to be, well, _Antonio,_ so that was good.

Stopping at the edge of the woods, they did reach the suburbs, and Brooke's hearing perked when she heard the screams. They were faint, and the team most likely didn't hear them, but she didn't explain. She just broke off into a sprint, pulling her samuraizer out of her pocket. The team, albeit confused, followed her, but the six rangers skidded to a stop on the edge of a neighborhood. They lined up in their usual lines, the rangers flipping their samuraizers open, Brooke activating the brush portion on hers.

Their theory was correct, the nighlok was the one that got away, Arachnotor. It was snarling and growling at civilians, causing them to scream as they ran away. Some tripped and fell, but they quickly picked themselves off of the ground, looks of terror on their faces.

"Looks like it's showtime!" Brooke stated, and the rest of the team nodded. They also noticed how Jayden had a faint smile on his face- but only for a second before he set his jaw.

 _"Go Go Samurai!"_ The six called in unison, drawing their respective symbols and morphing into their suits. They also drew their blades, Brooke spinning one of her katanas in her hand and keeping the other one pointed at the nighlok.

"This time we'll finish him off!" Jayden challenged, and on his call, the six ran forward.

It _didn't_ go well. Mike instantly got thrown aside, and when Kevin jumped up to land an attack, the nighlok grew _tentacles._ Those tentacles slammed the blue ranger into a car, which dented it. The silver and red rangers instantly cringed, the two blocking out the sounds of their teammates being flung aside. However, it seemed like their swords were barely making a dent, and it wasn't long until the two got overpowered, Jayden being the first one to get hit.

Brooke actually didn't even get hit, Jayden just sort of slammed into her. The silver and red helmets _thanked_ together, the force sending the two rangers to the ground. Everything went fuzzy for the both of them for a moment, both rangers letting out groans as they picked themselves off of the ground. Brooke wanted to make a teasing comment, but the words died in her throat.

The nighlok _flew_ , the monster pumping its legs to propel itself through the air. Brooke just stood there for a moment, stunned. Her brows were knit, because out of all the weird shit she's seen, and there was _a lot_ , a nighlok using its legs to fly was now on the top of the list. Shaking her head, the silver ranger just picked her katanas off of the ground and sheathed them. That was new- she remembered the umbrella nighlok that made everyone depressed, but, this seemed to be on a whole different level. Looking back on it, that nighlok was _easy_ compared to the ones they faced now.

That was months ago at this point, and Brooke realized that she had been with the team longer than she thought. Not that she was complaining, they were like a found family- and whatever her feelings for Jayden were. Still, the six other rangers made her happy, and it was nice. Even when they got their asses kicked by a nighlok.

"Wow, that nighlok's really strong." Emily pointed out, helping Mike stand.

"Don't you remember, he mutated!" Mike exclaimed, and the team all collectively cringed. They hadn't fought against a mutated nighlok before. It was going to be a new challenge.

"It's out of control," Mia stated, the pink ranger glancing in the direction the nighlok flew and then back at the team. "But what's worse is that it isn't drying out." She added, and Kevin nodded.

"It must be using a big pool of river water." Kevin thought aloud, and Brooke instantly perked up.

Taking out her samuraizer, Brooke flipped it open and brought up the map of Panorama. "Amaris," She called, and the white wolf appeared in a flash of silver. "Will you check an area on the west side of the city for me? The one that's kinda destroyed?" She asked, and Amaris seemed to nod, her ears flicking.

 _"Of course,"_ Amaris replied, and Brooke smiled underneath her silver helmet. She crouched down to the wolf's height and started petting here, the silver ranger's black glove contrasting Amaris' fur.

"Thanks, Amaris. Stay safe." Brooke thanked, and Amaris' tail flicked in response. The white wolf's violet eyes shone with joy, and she bounced in place twice and then leapt through the air, disappearing.

"What was that about? Do you have some sort of plan?" Mike questioned Brooke, who nodded and grinned underneath her helmet.

"Yeah, I do. I'll explain back at the Shiba House." Brooke answered, demorphing, and starting her walk back to the woods.

* * *

Back at the Shiba House, Brooke stared down at the map, tracing a route with her finger. The others let the silver ranger take charge, as she seemed to know what she was doing. They realized it was probably some of Jayden rubbing off of her, as the red ranger was watching the silver with a faint smile on his face.

"There are many spots where the Sanzu River is seeping into our world. It looks like Xandred is planning to flood the Earth." Ji summarized, and Brooke just blocked out the stress for the most part.

 _She needed to work harder._ Not just the cage symbol, but in battle as well. Brooke realized she was starting to fall somewhat behind because of the amount of time during training she's used to work on the cage symbol. She needed to tweak her schedule a bit, but Brooke really didn't know how to. Her only thought was to train during the day and work on the cage symbol during the night, or vice versa. But she couldn't wear herself out, for a multitude of reasons. The biggest one being that she didn't want to set through one of Jayden's lectures.

"We'll have to work as a team, even harder." Kevin declared, and Emily glanced at Mike quickly before turning her attention to Brooke.

"Brooke, weren't you planning something?" Emily asked, and Brooke nodded, standing up from where she was crouched next to the map.

"The area I sent Amaris to is where I think the nighlok goes to rehydrate. Which is _here,_ " Brooke started, tapping a place on the map. "From what I remember- that area has a lot of sinkholes and hasn't been ventured into for awhile. The sinkholes are most likely deep enough so that the nighlok has plenty of water to rehydrate." She finished, glancing down at the map and then at the team.

Mike shot her an impressed look. "How'd you know all that?" He wondered, and Brooke averted her gaze, her eyes flashing.

"It's a long story. But," Brooke regained her composure. "When I came here- I had a lot of time to kill. Which led to me pretty much scouting the place, I think it was a wolf instinct, in all honesty." She shrugged nonchalantly, playing with her mother's necklace, sliding the compass charm side to side on the chain that was around her neck.

Brooke didn't bring up the fact that she went on a date to that very area. And the fact that things had… escalated from there, and it was a somewhat shameful moment for her. Alcohol and teenage hormones do _not_ mix well, but Brooke just shoved those memories down. It was ironic, now she was going there because she had to save the world. And it was going to the area with Jayden now, which was _much_ better than a guy she used to go to school with.

"Well, it's a good skill to have. You've become our navigator at this point, Brooke." Mia pointed out, and Brooke grinned.

"Well, someone has to do the job, and who better than a wolf?" Brooke joked, hooking her thumbs onto the belt loops of her jeans. "That leads the question- Red, thoughts? You technically call all the shots here." She grinned at Jayden, who smiled faintly and nodded.

"The nighlok have ambushed us before, but now it's our turn," Jayden replied, a hint on enthusiasm in his tone and a sparkle in his eyes.

Brooke found it cute but pushed it aside when Amaris appeared in a flash of silver. _"Your assumption was correct, my dear. That is, technically, the source."_ The white wolf stated, and Brooke nodded, a smile growing on her lips.

"Then that's that," Brooke replied, crouching down and scratching behind Amaris' ear. The wolf licked her cheek in response, then returned to Sweetbrier Mountain in a flash of silver. "Let's finish this." She urged, and the team was off.

She trailed behind some, and grey eyes flashed when Brooke watched Antonio program the black box for a moment. He seemed frustrated, which was a running theme when working with symbol power, but other than that, he seemed fine. Brooke felt a strange sense of jealousy fill her heart, but shoved that aside.

The cage symbol needed to get done, and Brooke knew that. She needed to try harder, and those thoughts rang in her head as she jogged to catch up with Jayden. He turned at the sound of gravel crunching underneath her feet, quirking a brow. Brooke just shook her head in response, flashing him a reassuring smile, and Jayden didn't return it, looking more unconvinced than anything. Still he didn't pry, just rubbing her back in a comforting sort of manner. Which Brooke welcomed, she could feel the warmth of his hand through her shirt, and it was nice. _Jayden was nice._

* * *

Upon reaching the area, Brooke shuddered, partly at the smell of nighlok and partly because of the memories that came rushing back. Still, she shoved them down, just wrinkling her nose. "Smells like nighlok." She muttered, resisting the urge to gag. It was everywhere and somewhat suffocating, but she just focused on breathing out of her mouth as she scanned the area.

"Let's split up. A group can take the upper level, and another can take the lower level." Jayden commanded, and the team nodded, Emily tapping her chin on thought.

"There should be a larger group on the lower level since there's a higher chance the nighlok's there." Emily mused, and Mike seemed to have an idea, glancing at Brooke and then Jayden.

Jayden did not like the look Mike gave him, shooting him a deadpan expression before the green ranger could even say anything.

Still, Mike ignored it. "Why don't Jayden and Brooke take the top part?" He suggested, and while Jayden didn't necessarily _object_ to the idea, he knew what this was. An obvious game of matchmaking. "I mean, Brooke's like two people because of her wolf form, and she has Amaris. So, it's technically four to four." The green ranger added, and the silver peered at him quizzically.

"What kind of logic is _that?"_ Brooke muttered to herself, her eyes flashing. Still, she wasn't complaining, either. Jayden was good company. "That's fine with me, just call us if something happens. Red?" She turned her attention to Jayden, who nodded.

"That's fine. Stay safe, everyone," Jayden advised, ignoring Mike's teasing look. The group of four nodded and were off, the red and silver rangers inspecting the area they had to reach. "So, how are we going to get up there?" He wondered aloud, and Brooke felt the corners of her lips twitch.

The stairs to reach the second level were completely useless, as they were just a pile of concrete and debris. Grey eyes scanned the area and flashed gold when Brooke secured a route. Instead of answering Jayden's question directly, she just onto a large rock. Wrapping her hands around a section of concrete, Brooke started to climb, easily finding footholds and reaching the second level in a couple of seconds. She was now looking down at Jayden and quirked a brow at his conflicted expression.

"It's like climbing a tree, wait-" Brooke's eyes flashed, and she broke into a grin. "Do you not know how to climb a tree?" She wondered, and when Jayden nodded, pink dusting his cheeks, she laughed faintly. "Never expected that one, but here. I'll help you." Brooke kneeled down at the ledge, holding out a hand.

"Brooke-" Jayden started, hopping onto the rock, and Brooke cut him off by throwing a pebble at him. He swatted it away and shot her a glare, Brooke deflecting it with a cheeky grin.

"Red, with all due respect, you look lost. I'm not pitying you, this place creeps me out and I don't wanna be up here alone. C'mon, I'm not gonna drop you or anything," Brooke stated, watching as the pink on Jayden's cheeks moved to the tips of his ears. Which caused her to smile faintly, and she extended her hand furth. "Just climb the first bit, I can pull you up." She urged, and Jayden huffed.

It was like watching a baby deer, and Brooke grabbed Jayden's wrist before he could fall. He didn't say anything, only averting his gaze, and Brooke laughed quietly. She pulled him up, pooling the strength in her arms to do so, but soon, Jayden grabbed the edge of the upper level and pulled himself up. Now they were both seated on the upper level of the parking garage, Jayden shooting Brooke a glare.

"Don't say a word," Jayden threatened as they both stood, and Brooke pretended to be hurt. Still, her grey eyes sparkled with mischief, and he let out a sigh. "I mean it, Brooke." He added, and Brooke grinned.

"Wouldn't dream of it, Red. You're cute." Brooke stated, ruffling Jayden's hair and walking off before he could process what was going on. So, he just stood there, dumbstruck for a moment.

 _That was new,_ Jayden thought, as the heat on the cheeks subsided. Fixing his hair some, he jogged after Brooke, a small smile on his face. Despite it making him flustered, he did enjoy the silver ranger's flirty comments. Something about them seemed genuine, strangely enough- and that made Jayden happy. Which was probably concerning, but he didn't really _care_ at this point.

* * *

"This must be the source," Jayden concluded as he and Brooke stared down at the large pool of Sanzu River water. "When it shows up, it's in for a surprise." He challenged, and Brooke smiled faintly as she flipped open her samuraizer and pulled up the map of Panorama. She zoomed in the map, noticing the many large pools of Sanzu water. That wasn't great, but Brooke pushed her worry aside, grinning at Jayden.

"You sound like a little- _huh?"_ Brooke cut herself off, grey-gold eyes scanning the area behind her. She sniffed the air, then gagged, instantly regretting that choice. Her nostrils instantly started burning, and it's not like it helped, anyway. The whole area smelt like nighlok and Brooke wondered if the smell would _linger._ She hoped it didn't, because she didn't want the smell of nighlok following her around.

"Everything alright?" Jayden asked, concern in his tone as he took in Brooke's stance.

She looked like she was ready to lunge at someone, crouched down with a clawed hand on the ground. Brooke held her samuraizer tightly in her other hand grey-gold eyes scanning the area. "...Yeah," She responded after a moment of silence, releasing the tension from her body and standing up fully. "Thought I heard something- or someone. My bad." She apologized, and Jayden shook his head, a faint smile on his face.

"You're good, we're all a little on edge at the moment," Jayden reassured Brooke, who nodded and broke into a faint smile.

The two then settled into a comfortable silence, sitting down and keeping watch on the large pool of Sanzu Water. It was all a waiting game, and Brooke didn't mind being alone with Jayden. But now she thought every noise was the nighlok returning, and she was somewhat on edge. She just wanted the thing gone, and quickly. The monster had caused the team one too many headaches and bruises.

Both of the rangers eventually lost track of how much time they spent staring at the one pool. "Where's that nighlok?" Jayden wondered aloud, his voice laced with annoyance. However, he didn't get a response, and he glanced over at Brooke, who was leaning against one of the pillars. She was seemingly falling asleep, her eyes half-lidded, and Jayden gently nudged his foot with her own.

Brooke instantly jumped in surprise, her cheeks flushing at Jayden's faint laughter. "Yeah, yeah, I know," She grumbled, and Jayden stood, holding out his hand. Brooke took it, the red ranger helping the silver rise to her feet. "We could be in the wrong area. This place is pretty big, after all." She offered, and Jayden just nodded.

The two rangers started running through the parking garage, Brooke taking the lead. However, both rangers didn't notice the talisman that flashed white when they ran through it. After a little while of running, Brooke's hearing perked, and the silver ranger skidded to a stop. She placed a hand on Jayden's chest, bringing a finger to her lips and motioning to the nighlok.

Arachnotor was in a pool of Sanzu water, snarling and splashing around. When the water came in contact with the rocks and debris in the area, they sizzled, almost _melting._ Brooke and Jayden watched the nighlok for a moment, getting the same idea. Dialing Mia's number and bringing her samuraizer up to her ear, Brooke ran beside Jayden as the two worked their way back down to the first level.

Mia picked up on the first ring. _"Yeah?"_ She greeted, her voice hard.

"Found Arachnotor, we'll rendezvous with you four soon," Brooke spoke quickly, her footsteps silent as she ran beside Jayden, easily keeping up with him.

 _"Got it,"_ Mia replied, and Brooke flipped her samuraizer shut, putting it in the front pocket of her Hawaiian shirt.

The silver and red rangers reached the area where they had first climbed up. Jayden jumped down with ease, raising an eyebrow at Brooke as she chewed on her bottom lip. Her eyes flashed as she motioned to her bad ankle, because even with her brace on, it would surely buckle. Jayden took that into account, holding out his arms slightly, and Brooke raised her eyebrows, peering at him quizzically.

"I'll catch you," Jayden explained, and Brooke found it worrying how she instantly put full faith in him.

Still, she nodded, getting a running start and leaping off the ledge. Jayden caught Brooke with ease, sort of wrapping her into a hug. Not that they both really minded, and he set her down, Jayden's hands resting on Brooke's hips. They both stood there for a moment longer than necessary, just sort of staring at each other, but then Brooke snapped out of it. She stepped away, motioning to the nighlok, and Jayden nodded. She couldn't judge the expression on his face but shoved that aside as they started moving again. The two rangers stayed somewhat low to the ground, sneaking through the area and ducking behind large chunks of debris and concrete.

Jayden stopped suddenly, ducking behind a pillar, his blue eyes unwavering from the nighlok as he reached out. Brooke made a noise of surprise when she felt his warm arm snake around her waist, Jayden pulling her close to his chest. She instantly looked up at him, eyes grey-gold and brows knit together. He didn't reply directly, only motioning to Arachnotor with a small nod.

The nighlok leapt out of the sinkhole it was in, landing a short distance away from the red and silver rangers with a snarl. Both Brooke and Jayden tensed somewhat, Jayden tightening his hold on Brooke's waist, the two rangers staying silent for the most part.

"Moogers!" A voice commanded, and Brooke's eyes landed on Octoroo. Her lips curled into a snarl as her canines grew, a low growl coming from her throat. She still had to "talk" with the squid nighlok about the poisoning incident.

Still, Brooke tore her gaze away from Octoroo as he disappeared into a crack with a flash of dark red. Moogers had surrounded Arachnotor, and her eyes flashed. She heard Jayden's heartbeat from where she was pressed against his chest, and surprisingly, it was even and calm. Though he _did_ train for this, so it made sense. Brooke actually wasn't panicked either, she just didn't feel like getting into a battle right now. Though it looked like she had no choice or say, so she just switched into her soldier mentality.

"Brooke, this just got a lot tougher." Jayden broke the silence, and Brooke's eyes flashed as they nodded to each other.

 _"Sum tua plagam,"_ Brooke muttered, and when Jayden shot her a quizzical look, she grinned at him. "I'm by your side." She translated, and his expression of slight annoyance and determination broke for a second, the corners of Jayden's lips twitching upwards.

Still, the mood fell as both rangers walked from their hiding spots. Their expressions were solemn, blue and grey-gold eyes showing almost no emotion, even when the team showed up. The six rangers all just nodded at each other, reaching for their samuraizers and flipping the devices open, Brooke activating the brush portion on hers. _"Samuraizer: Go Go Samurai!"_ The six called, drawing their respective symbols quickly. However, the six symbols just fizzled out, Brooke and Jayden sharing a raised eyebrow look.

"This hasn't happened before, something must be blocking us from morphing," Kevin concluded, and the six tensed as Arachnotor let out a loud snarl. Luckily, the nighlok seemed to be almost _waiting_ for them to make the first move, which was good.

Grey-gold eyes turned to gold as Brooke scanned the area, her eyes landing on the red, white, and black talisman. "There it is," She declared, pointing at the talisman with a clawed finger. "I must've heard Octoroo before, then," Brooke concluded and clicked her tongue. It was right up the squid nighlok's alley just to be a general annoyance.

The six summoned their weapons, which appeared in flashes of their respective colors. Brooke also felt her Wolf Kunai sheathed at her hip as she spun one of her katanas in her hand. The silver blade caught the light, the silver ranger throwing it up and catching it with ease.

"Brooke and I will handle the barriers," Jayden stated, he and Brooke nodding at each other. "The rest of you, be cautious. There's a lot of Sanzu water here. And it's dangerous stuff." He advised, and the team readied their weapons, running into battle.

As the four other rangers ran forward, Brooke and Jayden ran to the left and the right. The red and silver rangers dodged Sanzu water as they cut through moogers, the monsters falling with squeals and a flurry of sparks. Brooke somersaulted over a mooger, landing a hard kick to its side that sent it falling to the ground. As she did so, she blocked another mooger's attack from behind, spinning on her heel and cutting it down. She swept her foot out, multiple moogers falling, and did a handspring and landed by the barrier, cutting down two moogers with two slashes.

Brooke then surveyed the area, noticing that Mia was dangerously close to falling into Sanzu water. The pink ranger was getting overwhelmed by moogers, and the silver ranger sheathed her katanas and drew her Wolf Kunai. Brooke then threw the weapon like a throwing knife, the blade embedding itself in the moogers chest, causing it to fall on the ground with a squeal. That gave Mia enough time to regain her footing, and she shot Brooke a thankful look, who gave her a mock salute with two fingers paired with a grin in response.

The kunai disappeared and reappeared in Brooke's hand with a flash of silver, Brooke and Jayden nodding to each other. The red and silver rangers slashed through the barrier talismans in unison, the objects being cut in half and falling to the ground. The ranger suits appeared on the team's bodies with flashes of their respective symbols in their respective colors.

"It's showtime!" Brooke declared with a hint of enthusiasm to her voice as she sheathed her Wolf Kunai and drew her katanas again. She cut down more moogers, flipping over one and landing next to Jayden, tightening her grip on the dual swords. She spun on her heels to cut the mooger down, then returned her attention to Jayden.

"Time to take out that nighlok!" Jayden commanded, Brooke at his side as the red and silver rangers sprinted up to the mutated monster.

The two _tried_ to attack, but it was no use. The mutated nighlok's tentacles instantly shot out and wrapped around the two rangers, pinning their arms to their sides. Brooke tried squirming to loosen the nighlok's hold some, but it only tightened its grip. With a snarl, the nighlok flung the silver and red rangers over its shoulder, Brooke and Jayden crashing through a pile of large concrete blocks.

The pain that flared through Brooke's back caused her to bite her tongue, and she instantly winced at the taste of iron. Stumbling to her feet, her pain quickly became secondary as she saw the nighlok's attacks that were hurtling towards the four other rangers. _"AMARIS!"_ Brooke screamed, and the white wolf instantly appeared in front of the four, putting up a purple barrier that deflected the nighlok's attack.

Silver and red boots kicked up small rocks as Brooke and Jayden ran over to the four, Amaris instantly standing at Brooke's side. "Everyone alright?" Jayden asked the four, who nodded and let out noises of relief.

"Yeah, thanks Amaris!" Emily thanked the white wolf, who flicked her ears.

 _"I am a protector, no need for thanking me,"_ Amaris replied, then looking up at Brooke. _"You are doing well, my dear. This is a tough opponent."_ This time, her voice only rang through Brooke's mind, who nodded and wore a small smile under her silver helmet in response.

"We must-" Jayden started, but was cut off by a voice.

"Guys, I did it!" Antonio called, running towards the six rangers. In the gold ranger's gloved hand was the black box, the Shiba and Wolfe family crests shining in gold and silver as they reflected the light.

"Goldie?" Brooke muttered, her voice laced with confusion as she tilted her head to the side.

Guessing by the way Antonio was holding the black box, he had completed programming it, and something about that made Brooke grit her teeth. Not at Antonio, the gold ranger was excited, and that was endearing, but the fact that the black box was already _completed_. That didn't take much time, and that caused something akin to insecurity to fill Brooke's gut. _I need to try harder,_ She thought to herself, and Amaris noticed her change in demeanor- and read her thoughts.

The white wolf looked up at the silver ranger, violet eyes shining with concern. _"You are doing just fine, my dear. You are making good progress at a good pace."_ Amaris reassured Brooke, but the silver ranger didn't respond, spiraling down a negative thought process. Still, Brooke snapped out of her thoughts as Antonio ran towards his childhood friends. She could at least be happy for him- it was almost like a motherly pride, funny enough.

"Gold is good, but right now black is better!" Antonio exclaimed with enthusiasm in his tone. He skidded to a stop in front of Jayden and Brooke, holding the black box and the super samurai disk in his hand. "The black box is ready." The gold ranger explained, and the red nodded, taking the objects out of Antonio's hands.

"Then let's see what it can do," Jayden stated, opening the black box and placing the super samurai disk inside. When he closed the black box, a light started flashing green, the talisman beeping. _"Super Samurai Mode!"_ He called, and the Shiba Clan's crest appeared in gold. The gold crest then dissolved, and a forked white cape that had a gold trim appeared on the red ranger. The cape had white shoulder pads, and the Shiba Clan's crest on the left side and the back of it.

"You're done for, nighlok!" Antonio declared, the pride evident in his tone, and Brooke looked at her two childhood friends with a small grin underneath her silver helmet. "I've combined all the power disks into the black box, and now we can morph into super samurai, unleashing superpowers you can only imagine!" The nighlok only snarled in response, and Antonio only snickered. _"Scared?_ You should be! He's gonna squash you like the bug that you are!"

Jayden took the super samurai disk out of the black box and slid in onto his spin-sword, attaching the talisman to the hilt of his spin-sword. "Nighlok, you're about to meet the super samurai!" He called, starting to take on the moogers.

Both Brooke and Antonio watched Jayden cut down multiple moogers, Brooke laughing faintly. "Goldie, I think you just gave Red a power trip," She teased, motioning to the red ranger, who was cutting down moogers using _very dramatic moves._ "Yeah, you definitely did. Or an ego boost." Brooke joked, and Antonio clapped her on the shoulder.

"We have to fuel his "red ranger complex" somehow, Brooke." Antonio fired back, and Brooke let out a bark of laughter as Jayden cut through a nighlok's attack.

 _"Joking aside, completing the black box is no easy feat,"_ Amaris stated, tearing her violet eyes from the red ranger and turning her attention to the gold. _"Good job, Antonio."_ The white wolf praised, her tail wagging, and Antonio crouched down, petting the wolf, who nuzzled into his touch.

When Jayden performed his _super blazing strike_ move and successfully destroyed the nighlok, Brooke was the first one to jog up. She didn't say anything, just squeezing his shoulder in a congratulatory manner, Jayden smiling faintly underneath his red helmet.

However, the smile fell when Arachnotor went into his second form, growing in size with a vicious snarl. "Stay alert, this monster's going mega!" Jayden warned, and spitfangs and giant moogers also joined the party. _"Super Megamode Power!"_

* * *

While the original five rangers formed the samurai megazord, Antonio and Brooke formed the wolf armor megazord. Spitfangs spat fireballs at the two megazords, but the large robots moved out of the way quickly. "Hey, Jayden! This is the perfect time to turn the black box up a notch!" Antonio urged through the comms, and Brooke was just zoning out for the most part.

She didn't know how to feel. While she _shouldn't_ overwork herself, Brooke felt like there was no other choice. She felt strangely guilty about not mastering the cage symbol quickly, and she wanted to get rid of that guilt to the best of her abilities. While she wouldn't work on the cage symbol tonight, because she had mastered one of the symbols today, and that did offer an ounce of reassurance. However, that reassurance got drowned out by fear, anxiety, and overthinking, but Brooke just grit her teeth. It had to get done, she _needed_ to get stronger. Weakness was not an option- _it was never an option._

However, Brooke pushed that to the side as the wolf armor megazord combined with the samurai megazord. _"Claw and Wolf Armor Megazord! We are united!"_ The original five called, as Antonio and Brooke appeared in the cockpit of the megazord in flashes of silver and gold, the two rangers folding up their megablades and sticking them into the control panel.

"Oh, so it's even _slower_ now." Brooke joked, pretending to be annoyed, and she snickered when Jayden hit one of the shoulder pads of her silver megamode suit. "No need to look so grumpy, Red. I'm just joking." She laughed, and Jayden rolled his eyes underneath his helmet, a faint smile on his face.

"Here they come!" Emily announced, and Brooke turned her attention from Jayden to the battle.

"Let's go!" Jayden commanded, and the megazord walked forward.

The megazord, despite its size and weight, _was_ pretty fast, all things considered. It cut down moogers, and Antonio and Brooke nodded at each other. _"Double Katana Strike!"_ The silver and gold rangers yelled in unison, the silver pointing forward triumphantly. The attack took care of the moogers, but the spitfangs were still an issue.

The spitfangs shot fireballs at the megazord, and it couldn't really dodge. The cockpit of the megazord shook, the seven rangers trying to maintain their balance. "Man, I'm not sure we can take another hit like that!" Mike warned as the team regained their footing.

"I think we can use a hand. Well, a tentacle. Well a bunch of tentacles," Antonio stated, the gold ranger taking his morpher out of the pouch on his megamode suit. "C'mon, Octozord!" He texted a command, and Brooke perked up.

"Guys, I have an idea!" Brooke called to Mike and Kevin, summoning the tiger disk. "Let's combine!" She commanded, and the blue and green rangers nodded. The three rangers attached the disks to their control panels, spinning them. The respective zords appeared, then combining with the octozord to make… a _cannon._

"That's one big cannon." Emily pointed out, and Kevin nodded, looking at Antonio.

"Yeah, but what does it do?" Kevin thought aloud, and Antonio flashed him a thumbs up.

"Just trust me! You won't believe your eyes!" Antonio answered, pride evident in his tone. It made Brooke happy, she could tell he was enjoying this.

"But it takes a lot of symbol power. So we can only fire it once." Jayden warned, and Brooke furrowed her brows. Could _she_ fire it multiple times? Given that she had more symbol power than the others due to bring a shifter. Though, it did rely on the _team's_ symbol power, so that probably wouldn't end well.

Mike made a noise of disbelief, glancing at Jayden. "One shot?" He asked skeptically, and Brooke grinned underneath her silver helmet.

"One's all we're gonna need," Brooke replied confidently, leveling her gaze with Arachnotor and the spitfangs. The spitfangs shot out fireballs but _missed,_ surprisingly.

"Wait for my signal, we can only do this as a team," Jayden commanded, and the spitfangs continued to spit out fireballs, and _miss._ After a moment, Jayden perked up, the megazord locking onto its target. "Locked on! Fire in the hole! Release the zords!" He declared, and the seven rangers pushed their folded megablades forward in unison.

The nighlok exploded with the attack, and the cockpit of the megazord erupted in cheers. Brooke and Jayden only intertwined hands for a moment, squeezing each other's hands lightly and then letting go. _"Samurai Rangers: Victory is Ours."_ The silver and red rangers called in unison, both smiling underneath their helmets.

* * *

Brooke stood in between Jayden and Antonio as they watched Emily draw the rock symbol power and fill up another sinkhole. The yellow ranger activated the symbol, numerous rocks falling from the sky and splashing in the Sanzu water. They successfully filled up the sinkhole, Emily turning to face Brooke with a weary smile on her face.

"I don't know how you do it," Emily stated, and Brooke quirked a brow. "I don't think I have an ounce of symbol power left." She explained as Mike wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into a side-hug.

 _They made me like this,_ Brooke thought bitterly, her eyes flashing, but then she broke into a small grin. "It's what I'm good at, I guess." She replied nonchalantly, shrugging.

"Good thing that was the last leak," Mike remarked, and Kevin walked up, a stern expression on his face.

"For now," Kevin added, his voice hard.

Antonio piped up from where he was standing beside Brooke, who was kneeled on the ground and petting Amaris. "Aw man, don't be such a downer, we just won!" The gold ranger chided, and Amaris' ears flicked. The white wolf was watching more than anything, her tail flicking every now and then.

"Yeah, but I don't like the way the nighlok have found a way to mutate," Emily confessed, a conflicted expression on her face.

"The threat is growing," Jayden agreed, but the corners of his mouth twitched upward. "But so are we, thanks to our man Antonio here." He added, motioning to the gold ranger, who beamed.

"I hear that! We can finally get an edge on Master Xandred." Mike cheered, fist-bumping Antonio.

"We just have to keep getting better and stronger," Jayden walked forward, looking down at the black box. The Wolfe and Shiba family crests shone brightly in the sunlight, as if their ancestors were congratulating the silver and red rangers for making it this far. "We just have to be… Super Samurai." He stated, and the five others watched as Brooke rose to her feet, rolling her eyes at Jayden.

Brooke shoved Jayden lightly, and he raised a brow in response, blue eyes glittering with what seemed like adoration. "That one was bad, Red. Extremely." She explained, and Jayden rolled his eyes, smiling faintly at Brooke.

 _I'm going to end this war, with you by my side,_ Jayden made the silent promise to Brooke as the team started walking back. He intertwined his hand with hers, and she smiled at him, and it was a genuine, happy smile. _I promise you._


	22. unprocessed emotions and a hard place

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The five other rangers find out what Brooke and Jayden's relationship truly is- which is something the silver and red rangers don't even know. A nighlok with an indestructible shell appears, and Antonio's MIA.

That night, Brooke stood in the middle of the outdoor dojo. Dressed in her training uniform, the silver glow of the moon- a waxing crescent, reflected off of her two katanas and illuminated her features. Grey-gold eyes narrowed as she stared down her opponent, which was a samurai. Not a _samurai ranger,_ but a traditional samurai, such as the ones that were present in feudal japan. The samurai was glowing in transparent silver, as it was made out of symbol power, but, other than that, it looked like the real thing. Armor and all- which Brooke thought the armor would be a nice challenge and was wielding a katana. The samurai and the silver samurai ranger circled each other for a moment, then, Brooke charged.

The samurai's fighting style was _different,_ but Brooke managed. She realized Jayden used some of the same stances, and that made sense, but it was clear that the red ranger had put his own swing, pun intended, on things. Seeing the moves used as how they traditionally were was incredibly different, but Brooke didn't have time to think about it. She just had to win the battle, even though the samurai's strong strikes caused her stance to waver. She just took it as a sign of weakness and kept fighting, returning with her own strikes and swings. The sound of metal colliding with metal filled the outdoor dojo and reverberated off of the wooden walls of the Shiba House. Luckily, the others were asleep, so Brooke didn't have to deal with people telling her to go to bed. Or so she thought.

Blue eyes were trained on Brooke and the samurai, Jayden's mouth turned into a small frown. Not about the way Brooke was fighting, it was clear that she knew what she was doing, but rather the _anger_ behind her swings. He didn't know why she was angry- well, it was more frustration, and it was worrying. Jayden knew he was probably worrying too much- _far more_ than from a leader aspect, but Brooke's moves were almost _feral._ They were quick, strong, and precise, and the second thought that flashed through Jayden's mind was that it was _attractive,_ in an intimidating, deadly way. The muscles in her arms flexed as she did a backwards handspring, and she landed on her feet, blocking the samurai's katana with both of her own.

However, with the intensity of the swing, it was clear that Brooke lost her balance, falling back. She grit her teeth, raising her katana to protect herself from the samurai's downward swing. Jayden watched as an unrecognizable emotion flickered across her face, her eyes turning pure gold and her upper lip curling around her canines. She did a backward roll, quickly hopping to her feet and rushing the samurai again.

" _The ideal soldier."_ Deker's words rang in Jayden's mind, and his eyes widened slightly. The experimentation- he realized that his father _made_ Brooke into a soldier. He recalled the last few battles and noticed that she seemed to have improved exponentially, but her attacks were angry. Rather than cutting down moogers, she had been stabbing them through the heart. It only happened sometimes- but Jayden had picked up on it. At first, he had brushed it off, thinking it was just her wolf senses, but then she realized that was how she _fought._ It was a sound way of fighting, but also incredibly unnerving. Looking back on it, Brooke had started to fight that way after she found out her past, and it made sense. But it also made Jayden _guilty._ He didn't know why, it just did.

Turning his attention back to Brooke, it was clear that she settled into a routine, her face set into an almost emotionless expression. However, she suddenly broke that routine when she did a backwards handspring, throwing one of her katanas in the air. It spun in the air, and as it fell, Brooke _kicked_ it. The sole of her foot connected with the hilt of her katana and the force sent the silver sword hurtling towards the samurai, tip facing towards it. The katana pierced through the samurai's armor, skewering the samurai in the heart. Brooke wasted no time, sprinting over and wrenching her katana out of the samurai's chest.

Letting out a yell, which was more of a growl, Brooke performed to identical sideways slashes. The two attacks successfully cut through the samurai and killed it, the soldier disappearing in a flash of silver. Brooke just stood there for a moment, her chest heaving as she panted. She felt disgusting, her training uniform was starting to stick to her body due to sweat, but she also felt satisfied. Her arms burned, but it was the satisfying after-workout burn, and her katanas disappeared in a flurry of silver particles. Brooke let herself go back into her usual mentality, turning her focus to the world around her rather than her opponent. The smell of smoke and cologne filled her nose, and she heard Jayden's familiar footfalls.

"Red," Brooke breathed, turning to face Jayden. She had a small smile on her face, but it instantly fell as she took in his worried expression. She knit her brows, her eyes flashing. "Is something wrong?" She wondered, crossing her arms over her chest and quirking a brow.

"You're not just a soldier, Brooke," Jayden blurted, and Brooke made a quiet noise of surprise, her eyes widening and flashing. "That's why you're doing this, right?" He asked, and Brooke averted her gaze.

"Wow, you figured that out fast," Brooke joked, but it was barely audible. She sort of… hugged herself, her claws pricking at the skin on her upper arms. She barely felt it, due to them being mostly scarred, and due to the fact she had become almost numb to the pain of her claws cutting her skin. "I feel like I'm falling behind. Since I'm spending so much time on the cage symbol, and- and I'm not even making fast progress on that. I- I just want to… I don't know." She mumbled, avoiding eye contact with Jayden. She didn't want to see his worried expression.

"You're doing fine, Brooke. You're not falling behind, in fact, you're probably training more than Kevin, now." Jayden tried joking, and it seemed to work, because Brooke let out a quiet laugh, lessening her hold on her arms.

"I don't think that's possible," Brooke retorted, her arms falling to her sides. Grey-gold eyes met blue, and she suddenly looked bashful, pink dusting her cheeks. "This might be a selfish request, but, can you stay with me tonight? I- I just need someone around, and Amaris is nice but, yeah." She nervously laughed, her eyes flashing, and Jayden smiled faintly.

"Of course, Brooke," Jayden replied, and Brooke shot him a thankful smile in return, nodding. The pair walked back into the Shiba House, both of them going their separate ways for the moment. Brooke, to go take a shower, and Jayden to go get changed out of his street clothes.

After getting changed, Jayden made his way back to Brooke's room, noticing that her door was slightly ajar. Light was filtering into the hallway from her bedside lamp, and Jayden smiled faintly as he spotted Amaris, the white wolf being curled on Brooke's bed. She was awake, however, and violet eyes turned to the red ranger as he walked into the silver ranger's room, shutting the door behind him.

The smell of coffee and cinnamon instantly filled his nose, and heat rose to Jayden's face as he heard the sound of water coming from the shower. _Was it okay for him to be in here?_ I mean, Brooke did invite him in, but _still._ The rational and irrational parts of his brain were fighting, and the irrational ones… well, they weren't really befitting of a leader, but Jayden quickly shoved them aside as soon as they formed.

Laughter coming from the bathroom broke Jayden out of his thoughts, and he heard the sound of the water being shut off. "It's alright, Red. Amaris says you look embarrassed," Brooke called through the door, and Jayden shot a glare at Amaris, who flicked her ears in response. Her violet eyes shone with amusement, and he let out a sigh. "Amaris, let Red sit down, I know you're taking up all of the bed," Brooke called again, and Amaris seemed to sigh, the white wolf standing up and hopping off of the bed.

Jayden sat down on the bed, and Amaris instantly hopped back on, laying her head on his thigh. He scratched the fur between her ears, and she closed her eyes in contentment. While Brooke was _singing-_ he could hear her quiet voice through the door, which was cute, he looked around Brooke's room. It was messier than he last saw it, as papers were strewn across her desk, along with a small stack of archives and notebooks. Her doc martens and military boots were in the corner of the room, the leather jacket she usually wore lazily thrown on top on them, and on her dresser was a variety of-

 _"Sleeping pills?_ Brooke." Jayden scolded as Brooke opened the door, dressed in a black tank top and a pair of grey running shorts, a deadpan expression on her face. He opened his mouth to retort but stopped himself when he noticed the dark circles and bags that were under her eyes, presumably usually hidden by concealer.

"Listen, I know about the raccoon eyes, Red. It's getting better, I promise," Brooke answered his silent question as she dried her hair with a towel, Jayden just raising his brows. "It was because of Deker and all it that is in the past now. I got those from Ji, anyway, and they didn't do _shit_." She stated, finishing drying her hair and throwing it over her desk chair. She then padded over to her dresser, picking up a hairbrush and started to brush her hair, quirking a brow at Jayden's expression.

It was a mix of worry and relief, that turned into slight amusement as Brooke struggled to get a knot out of her hair. "Why didn't they work?" Jayden thought aloud, motioning to the sleeping pills, and Brooke let out a heavy sigh as she finished brushing her hair.

"Wolf thing, I think. My body doesn't really allow me to have stuff like that, and it just doesn't work. Either that or I have to double the dose of a lot of stuff, and it's risky playing with sleeping meds." Brooke answered, setting her hairbrush back on the top of the dresser. She then grabbed Jayden's hoodie from where Amaris was laying on it, nudging the wolf some so that she would get off of it.

"I'm sorry," Jayden blurted, and Brooke quirked a brow at him, her eyes flashing. "It's because of my dad that you're not human, and-" He started, but Brooke cut him off after she pulled his hoodie over her head.

"Red, it's not your fault, don't apologize," Brooke stated, nudging Amaris some so that she could sit next to Jayden on her bed. "It never was, and me becoming a shifter was necessary. If not, history would've just repeated itself, you guys would be fighting a war that you lost from the start. It's _okay_ , I've made my peace with it, for the most part. I don't hold anything against you, we were little kids back then. I'm fine, being a shifter is all I've known, really." She reassured Jayden, and he nodded.

Brooke rested his head on his shoulder, and Jayden let her, lazily running his hand through her damp hair. They sat like that for a couple of minutes in comfortable silence, until Jayden spoke again. "You mean a lot to me, and you're not a soldier in my eyes, Brooke. You're _Brooke,_ and that's enough. _You're enough."_ He murmured, and Brooke opened her eyes, a small smile on her face.

It didn't lessen the stress she felt or the feelings of inadequacy, but it was enough. For right now, anyways, and Brooke raised her head from Jayden's shoulder. "Thank you, Red. It means a lot." She replied, her voice barely above a whisper.

* * *

The next morning, both Brooke and Jayden noticed that the others were acting weird around them both. It seemed that whenever they talked to each other, someone else was always in the room, which was a given, but all the rangers seemed to be giving the silver and red rangers more attention. Brooke had stopped her usual teasings, furrowing her brows as she and Jayden parted, albeit awkwardly. Living with five others gave them little privacy, but they both didn't enjoy the (not so) discreet eavesdropping the others were doing. Even _Kevin_ was in on it, and it was incredibly confusing. Still, the two just tried to ignore it as they went about their mornings like normal. Brooke had holed herself up to work on the cage symbol, so everything was relatively normal in that regard.

The last symbol Brooke had to master- despair, was incredibly difficult and draining. Even more so than the others, and it had a tendency to barely even form. Brooke didn't know if that was due to her just being tired. But she was happy, waking up next to Jayden had made her extremely happy, and that was the first sleep in awhile that wasn't plagued by as many nightmares. Just being in someone's arms made her feel safe. Still, her muscles were sore from her sparring match against the samurai last night, but that was easy to ignore. It meant growth and progress.

 _"Despair!"_ Brooke called, and this time, the symbol _did_ form. But it self-destructed, with more force than the others.

In a bright flash of silver, Brooke got slammed against the _wall._ Pain instantly flared from her back, and slamming on the floor didn't help. Everything went fuzzy, and it was not enjoyable in the slightest. She felt bad- which wasn't great, and Brooke could barely make out the sound of someone opening the door. Everything sounded like it was underwater, and the only way Brooke knew it was Mia and Jayden was because of the respective pink and red on their training sneakers. Her senses weren't even working, her brain was full of radio static, and that was pretty much it. Still, she blinked slowly, and the world came back into focus as she pushed herself off of the ground and into an upright position as Jayden and Mia crouched next to her.

"Brooke! Are you alright?" Mia asked, and Brooke blinked slowly, nodding faintly.

"I hit the fuckin' wall," Brooke mumbled, rubbing the back of her head. Her senses kicked in, and soon she regained her bearings, her eyes flashing. "I really don't know why this one's being so difficult. First time it has stayed in the air and it decides to implode." She complained, and Jayden frowned.

Both he and Mia noticed the bruises that were starting to decorate Brooke's arms, no doubtedly from hitting the floor so many times. However, the pink and red rangers knew it was useless to bring it up because Brooke would just deflect it.

"Why don't you wrap things up for the day," Jayden suggested, and Brooke shot him an exasperated look, which he responded with raised eyebrows. "Training just ended anyway." He added, and Brooke's eyes flashed as she chewed on her bottom lip.

However, before Brooke could say anything, Mia perked up, seemingly getting an idea. "Why don't you two go grocery shopping with me?" She suggested, and Brooke's eyes flashed as she quirked a brow. "There's a new recipe I've been wanting to try, and I need to get the ingredients." The pink ranger explained, and the silver and red rangers didn't have the heart to say no.

"Sounds like a plan." Brooke agreed, and Mia beamed.

* * *

Jayden had just finished tying his shoes when he heard a knock at his door. It was faint, and he opened the door to find Brooke, who was smiling sheepishly. He quirked a brow at that, and her cheeks flushed pink. It was extremely out of character, and it made Jayden wonder if she had hit her head _that_ hard.

"I was wondering if I could borrow one of your flannels," Brooke explained, her eyes flashing. "I can't find mine- and I'll probably melt in a leather jacket." She explained, and that was the truth. It was now summer in Panorama, and she found that her usual leather jackets were soon making the heat unbearable. Plus, she needed something to cover the bruises on her arms, because she knew from _experience_ that people were rather nosey when it came to things like that. It was also because she just wanted one of Jayden's flannels.

"Yeah, that's fine," Jayden answered, almost _too_ quickly, and he inwardly cringed at that. "Which one do you want?" He asked, and Brooke raised her eyebrows, following him into his room.

"I get a choice?" Brooke questioned, surprise in her tone, and Jayden nodded as he walked into his closet. "Uh, damn, I dunno. Whichever one you have the least emotional attachment to, I guess." She stated, and it wasn't supposed to be a joke, but she heard Jayden's faint laughter.

"I don't really have an emotional attachment to any of them, but here." Jayden walked out of his closet, holding out his dark red and black checkered flannel. Which he didn't choose because of the polaroid of dream world him and Brooke. _That wasn't the case at all._

"Thanks, Red. I appreciate it." Brooke thanked, and Jayden smiled faintly as she took the flannel out of his hands and shrugged it on. It reached her mid-thigh, and Jayden watched in amusement as Brooke struggled to roll the sleeves of the flannel up, cursing under her breath. She eventually gave up, and he stepped in, silently helping her. "Thanks," Brooke mumbled, her face flushed pink and her eyes flashing.

Jayden wore a faint smile as he also fixed the collar of the flannel. "Of course," He replied, and Brooke moved her samuraizer to the front pocket of it. "Plus- it looks good on you." He added, and it wasn't the _smoothest_ delivery, but Brooke flushed somewhat, breaking into a small smile.

The two just stood there for a moment, until Brooke motioned to the door. "You ready for another round of being poisoned? Third time's a charm for me." She joked weakly as she and Jayden left his room, Jayden shutting the door behind them.

"I'm really hoping it's not," Jayden muttered in response, and Brooke snorted as they made their way to the front door.

Mia instantly noticed the flannel and discreetly raised her eyebrows at Brooke, who responded by quirking a brow. The pink ranger ignored the silver ranger's silent question and smiled. "Now that we're all here, let's go," Mia stated enthusiastically, and Jayden and Brooke shared a raised eyebrow look.

The three rangers made their way downtown, Brooke and Jayden trailing behind Mia, walking in comfortable silence. Which Mia seemed to notice, looking back at the two, who raised their eyebrows. "You two are quiet." She commented, and Brooke's eyes flashed as she grinned.

"Whaddya wanna talk about, _the weather?_ If so, it's a great day for a picnic- hey, you're mean." Brooke huffed, shooting a playful glare at Jayden, who had playfully shoved her. He responded with raised eyebrows, and she stuck his tongue out at him in response.

"You're really something," Jayden stated, and Brooke snickered. Noticing the fact that Mia was grinning at the pair's usual banter, he furrowed his brows. "Why were you and the others acting weird this morning?" He questioned as they reached the small grocery store, and Mia shrugged, feigning ignorance.

"I have to idea what you're talking about. Just wait here!" Mia called to the pair, and Brooke and Jayden shared a look of mutual annoyance and frustration.

A couple of minutes passed, and Brooke was leaning against a bike rack, watching as Jayden struggled with a gumball machine. He had a disgruntled look on his face as he shook the machine, and Brooke only watched him with a grin. It was incredibly _cute,_ and she realized today was going great. She bit back her laughter as she discreetly recorded Jayden letting out a groan of annoyance, kicking the gumball machine slightly. Brooke stopped the video before he noticed, pulling up her messaging app and sending the video to Casper.

**Brooke:** _red's struggling  
_ **Brooke:** _when a master of war cant work a gumball machine >_

**Casper:** _ive never seen jayden before and yknow, he looks like a jayden  
_ **Casper:** _are you guys getting groceries? that doesn't seem very "samurai ranger"_

**Brooke:** _we got dragged out. mias cooking again_

_**Casper** _ **:** _is she the one whos a bad cook_

**Brooke:** _yessir_

**Casper:** _it cant be that bad, can it? like you can only fuck up food so much_

**Brooke:** _you'd be surprised  
_ **Brooke:** _ill let you know what poison she's planning on making_

**Casper:** _please do, im intrigued_

Turning off her phone, Brooke tucked it back into her back pocket. Jayden was still struggling with the gumball machine, staring at it with knit brows. He then turned his attention to her, taking in her smile and the way amusement shone in her grey eyes. "You seem awfully happy about this," Jayden grumbled, and Brooke snickered, nodding.

"You're cute," Brooke teased, and Jayden instantly froze. His cheeks and the tips of his ears became matching shades of pink, and he shot Brooke a playful glare, who walked over and poked him on the nose. "I'm just saying, you are." She stated, quirking a brow, and Jayden flushed a deeper shade of pink.

Not that he was _complaining_ , he just didn't know how to react. Jayden just stood there for a couple of moments, taking in Brooke's somewhat smug and teasing expression. He tried thinking of a retort, but luckily, he didn't have to, because Mia walked out of the grocery store.

The pink ranger only had one grocery bag in her hand, which the silver ranger peered at warily. "Just one bag?" Brooke wondered, her eyes flashing as Jayden took the bag from Mia.

"Oysters, chocolate sauce, brussel sprouts," Jayden listed off the items in the bag with a slight grimace. He and Brooke shared a look of concern, the silver and red rangers visibly cringing. "You sure you got everything you need for this recipe?" He asked Mia, who nodded with a smile.

"Sure am," Mia replied confidently, and Brooke made a gagging motion with her finger, Jayden laughing under his breath.

"Sounds uh… unique?" Brooke stated, and her smile was more of a grimace, but Mia paid no mind.

Instead, she noticed that Brooke and Jayden were walking closely together, their fingertips barely touching. Which Mia didn't pry, only grinning slightly. That meant that she and the other's plan was going smoothly. All of the other rangers, even Kevin, who got roped in by Mike, had set up a plan to try to get Brooke and Jayden to act romantically interested in each other. Well, from the five other's point of view, they already were, from the small smiles they shot each other to the way that they were physically affectionate when they thought the others couldn't see them. The rest of the team was trying to figure out if they _did_ have something going on, as the silver and red rangers were secretive.

"The secret is to mix the ingredients in just the right way," Mia explained, and Brooke's eyes widened and flashed gold, shooting a fearful look at the grocery bag Jayden was carrying.

"Explain that to paramedics," Jayden muttered, barely audible, and Brooke snorted as she pulled her phone out of her pocket.

 **Brooke:** _oysters, chocolate sauce, and brussel sprouts_

 **Casper:** _?_

 **Casper:** _is that your shopping list or something? if so, what the fuck are you eating_

 **Brooke:** _mias making *that* for dinner_

 **Casper:** _wait WHAT  
_ **Casper:** _that's gotta be inhumane  
_ **Casper:** _there's no fucking way  
_ **Casper:** _you gotta be joking_

 **Brooke:** _im not, I might die tonight & not from a nighlok_

 **Casper:** _that made me fucking gag  
_ **Casper:** _god im not over that  
_ **Casper:** _like maybe the brussel sprouts and oysters? but that's already pushing it  
_ **Casper:** _the fuckin chocolate sauce_

 **Brooke:** _we dying tonight, boys_

**Casper:** _good fucking luck, wolfie. you're gonna need it_

Mia seemed to hear Jayden, just not what he _said_ , because she furrowed her brows at him. "What?" She asked quizzically, and Brooke snorted, tucking her phone into her back pocket again.

"Oh, uh, nothing." Jayden responded quickly, and Brooke grinned and Mia, nodding.

A somewhat playful air surrounded the three rangers, but it soon fell due to Brooke's samuraizer beeping. Brooke instantly pulled the device out of the pocket of her, well- _Jayden's_ flannel, flipping it open. She brought up the small map of Panorama, her eyes flashing. "Near the stadium, and that isn't too far from here." She announced, and the three rangers nodded at each other, sprinting down the streets of Panorama.

The three reached the stadium quickly, them having morphed on the way there. The nighlok was shooting lasers out of its eyes, and civilians were screaming in terror. Still, they all got away rather safely, the pink, red, and silver rangers taking their places.

"Nighlok, that's enough!" Jayden threatened, gaining the attention of the nighlok.

It looked like an armadillo, shell and all, and it had a snout paired with buck teeth. "How dare you talk to me like that! How dare you talk to me at all!" The nighlok scolded in a nasally voice, and Brooke rolled her eyes under her helmet, drawing her katanas.

"Then let's get the ball rolling." Brooke fired back, spinning one katana in her hand and keeping the other pointed at the nighlok.

However, nighlok seemed to be in its own little world, muttering to itself. "Maybe I'll have some fun with these lameos before I take them down." The monster thought to itself, snickering.

"You're the one that's going down, nighlok!" Mia challenged, pointing her spin-sword at the nighlok menacingly.

"Hah! You're nothing but a joke!" The nighlok sneered, turning its back on the three and continuing to think aloud. "Now let's see… what would be the funnest way to mash them to bits?" The monster wondered, and Brooke groaned, tightening her grip on her swords.

"Let's just end this." Brooke urged, and the three rangers ran forward.

"What, you're really going to attack _me?_ Check this out!" The nighlok exclaimed, rolling into a ball. The three ranger's swords _clanged_ against the nighlok's shell, bouncing off of it. "Your swords feel like pillows!" The monster taunted, and Brooke felt pain in her back flare as she got hit by the nighlok and collided with the ground.

Gritting her teeth, she staggered to her feet and went to go fight again, but it was pretty much useless. When Brooke hit the ground for the second time, she just sort of _gave up,_ hearing as the others ran up. She gratefully took Jayden's hand, the red ranger helping the silver to her feet. Brooke then picked her katanas up off of the ground, facing the nighlok again. It had curled up into its ball form and was now just sitting there.

"What's his story?" Mike asked quizzically, motioning to the nighlok.

"It's a ball?" Emily wondered aloud, her voice full of skepticism.

"Don't underestimate it, we can't even penetrate its shell," Jayden warned, he and Brooke sharing annoyed looks through their helmets. This was not the most ideal situation, because while the nighlok gave them trouble, one of them could at least _hit_ the monster. Now that wasn't the case.

The others tried their special weapons and attacks, and they all bounced off of the nighlok's shell like they were nothing. "This is getting annoying!" The monster exclaimed, uncurling from its ball. "Leave now, or you'll need someone to carry you away!" It threatened, and annoyance radiated off of the six rangers.

"None of our attacks worked!" Emily complained, and then the yellow ranger turned her attention to the silver. "What about Amaris?" She asked Brooke, who shook her head.

"She physically can't fight- her claws are dull, and she only knows defensive spells," Brooke explained, and then she knit her brows underneath her helmet, her eyes flashing. "What the?" She muttered, and the five others noticed the civilians.

They were like polar opposites of each other, one man tall and lanky and the other man on the bigger side. The two ran up to the makeshift battlefield, and the nighlok instantly noticed them. The monster turned to the two civilians, letting out a roar that made Brooke wince, even with the extra padding around her ears. The two civilians instantly let out screams of terror and started running away, the sounds giving Brooke a slight headache.

Still, Brooke tried to push through it and focus on the battle and hand, which was rather difficult. As Mike and Emily ran to guide the two civilians to safety, the nighlok rolled back up into its ball form. The monster started rolling towards the four remaining rangers, the silver ranger sheathing a katana and opening her samuraizer. She drew the protection symbol without saying a word, and the nighlok bounced off of the silver shield.

"Thanks, Brooke." Mia thanked as the nighlok hit the ground, Brooke flipping her samuraizer shut.

"It's not a problem, don't feel like getting turned into a bowling pin today," Brooke replied nonchalantly, sticking her samuraizer into the pouch on her belt. She committed the protection symbol to heart quickly, as it did come in handy at times like these.

Brooke then flashed back to her sparring match with the samurai from last night. With enough force, she penetrated the samurai's armor, and she wondered if the same tactic could work with this nighlok. Probably not, but it couldn't hurt to try, right? However, before Brooke could do so, the nighlok's body started greying and cracking, signaling that it was drying out.

"You got lucky- I'm drying out!" The nighlok stated with a sneer, picking itself up off of the ground. "But I'll finish you later!" The monster threatened, running off and disappearing into a crack in a flash of dark red.

The rangers radiated annoyance and frustration, the six demorphing. Brooke said nothing, only scanning the area and hooking her thumbs on the belt loops of her black denim shorts. She let out a heavy sigh, ignoring the throbbing of her back. This only added onto the bruising thanks to the despair symbol slamming her against the wall, and Brooke fought back a tension headache. It was just bad luck, and nothing more.

* * *

"Nothing gets through his armor!" Mike loudly complained as the six walked back into the Shiba House. "How're we going to fight him?" He asked Jayden, who had a look of annoyance on his face.

It was the type of annoyance that he held when he didn't know something, and it was evident in his voice. "We'll find a way. It's got to have some sort of weakness." Jayden responded, sitting on his usual seat and pinching the bridge of his nose. His body throbbed thanks to the nighlok, and his head throbbed thanks to the tension headache. _Ah, the joys of being a ranger._

"May I remind you that not _one_ of our attacks damaged him _at all?"_ Mike retorted, and Brooke wrapped Jayden's flannel tighter around her body.

She took her usual seat next to Jayden, Brooke wearing a slight frown. She chewed on her bottom lip, running through the symbol powers she knew. None of them could break a shell, _could they?_ Brooke's eyes flashed as she ran a clawed hand over her face, sharing a look with Jayden. It was a look of mutual annoyance, but Brooke reminded herself it was just a nighlok. They would get through it, just like they always did.

"Like Jayden said, there must be some crack in its defenses." Ji reminded the team, and a figurative lightbulb went off over Kevin's head.

"That's it!" Kevin blurted, and the five other rangers peered at him with expressions of hope and confusion. "I think I cracked the code. We just need the right ranger, with the right attack, in the right order!" He explained, pride evident in his tone. "We'll beat him as a team!"

"Speaking of team," Emily piped up, scanning the five other rangers. "Where's Antonio?" She asked, and Brooke and Jayden shared a look, raising their eyebrows.

Their childhood friend was a dork, yes, but he never missed battles intentionally. "If he's fishing, I'm going to scream," Brooke muttered as she took her samuraizer out of the pocket of Jayden's flannel. Flipping it open, she called Antonio, furrowing her brows when she got his voicemail.

 _"You know me, probably out fishing. Holla back."_ Antonio's voicemail stated, and Brooke sighed. She didn't even leave a message, just ending the call and flipping her samuraizer shut.

"I wonder what he's got himself into this time," Ji muttered, and Kevin let out a sigh.

"Seriously, that guy's a trouble magnet," Kevin remarked, setting the archive he was reading down on the table.

"Guys, he may be a jokester, but Antonio really takes this stuff seriously," Emily stated, rising from her seat. "He wouldn't just ignore our calls, he might be in real trouble." She stated, and Brooke nodded, rising from her seat as well.

The pain in her back instantly flared, and now her ribs throbbed as well, and the team picked up on Brooke's slight wince. "I can go track him down, it probably won't take long." She offered, and Jayden shook his head.

"You're hurt," Jayden instantly shut the idea down, and Brooke shot him a deadpan expression. "You were limping some on the way back, Brooke, don't give me that look." He chided, and Brooke's eyes flashed as she glanced at Jayden.

Brooke's first instinct was to go "try and catch me", and have Amaris take her to the pier, and she somewhat wanted to. But, Jayden was right, and she didn't really feel up to dealing with one of his lectures. "Alright, Red. Whatever you-" She was cut off her samuraizer, and Brooke let out a sigh as she flipped open the device. The gap sensor went off soon after, and the team instantly ran off, morphing as they ran through the gates.

* * *

The team skidded to a stop in front of the nighlok, who was rolling around in its ball form. Upon seeing the six rangers, the nighlok sprung up, laughing. "Haha, you fools again!" The monster sneered, rubbing its hands together excitedly.

"But this time we're shutting you down… hard." Mike threatened, and the nighlok only snickered.

"Ha! You're just showing how foolish you are, thinking you can win!" The nighlok taunted, rolling back up into its ball form and starting to roll towards the six rangers.

The six appeared nonchalant, Jayden resting his spin-sword on his shoulder as he spoke. "Time for Kevin's plan: phase one." He stated, and Mike and Emily got into position.

The green and yellow rangers flipped open their samuraizers, drawing two symbols. _"Symbol Power: Barricade!"_ The two called in unison, activating the symbols. A large wall appeared, the wall being made of rocks that were held together with vines.

"That's right, you should hide!" The nighlok threatened, rolling right into the barricade Emily and Mike had made. It broke from the force, large stones falling on the nighlok, covering the monster with dirt and dust. "That was stone cold, rangers!" The monster exclaimed, wiping its face from where it laid on the ground.

"Us one, you nothing!" Mike cheered, sharing a congratulatory high-five with Emily.

"Now onto phase two," Jayden commanded, spinning the lion disk on his spin-sword. The blade burst into flames, and Brooke could feel the heat radiating off of the weapon from where she was standing. It made her wonder how Jayden dealt with it, as it was almost blistering.

"My wind-" Mia started, slashing with her sky fan and picking up wind.

"Will make my flames stronger!" Jayden finished, slashing with his spin-sword and sending the fire hurtling towards the nighlok, who had picked itself off of the ground. The attack caused the nighlok's shell to be lit on fire, but the monster seemed relatively unfazed, just shooting out witty remarks.

"Onto phase three."

Brooke stepped forward, opening her samuraizer and activating the brush portion. She started to draw a symbol and soon 満月 hung in the air in silver. "Let's strengthen this tide! _Full Moon!"_ She called, activating the symbol. The symbol caused night to fall on Panorama, a full moon hanging in the sky in brilliant silver. The moon illuminated the six rangers, who, besides Brooke, let out murmurs of surprise.

Then, Kevin stepped forward, flipping open his samuraizer. "Ha, you still can't see the writing on the wall, can you nighlok?" He taunted, drawing a symbol, which hung in the air in a vibrant blue. "Time to make you come out of your shell! _Tidal Wave!"_ Kevin activated the symbol, and a large tidal wave appeared.

The tidal wave, being strengthened by the full moon, crashed against the nighlok. The blue and silver rangers stepped back, flipping their samuraizers shut and putting them back into the pouches on their belts. The full moon symbol also ended, the sun also rising again quickly, and Brooke _knew_ that civilians were losing their shit over it. Which was quite funny, in actuality.

"All you did was clean my indestructible shell! Thanks for the wash!" The nighlok sneered, pointing at the team as water dripped off of its body.

"You sure that's all we did?" Jayden questioned, and as if on cue, the nighlok's shell started cracking. The monster let out a wail in response to that, and the red ranger switched out the lion disk for a normal blank one. "Let's end this shell game!" He challenged, and Brooke drew her Wolf Kunai, settling into a fighting stance.

"Yup! Time to get cracking!" Kevin urged, and with that, the six rangers ran forward.

Jayden and Brooke fought side-by-side like they usually do, but even with the cracks in the nighlok's shell, it was difficult. After a couple of moments of struggle, the team regrouped, and Brooke felt her senses perk at the shift in energy. She quickly took out her samuraizer again, quickly drawing the protection symbol as the nighlok fired lasers from its eyes. _"Protection!"_ Brooke yelled, activating the symbol just in time. The silver barrier absorbed the attack before it could hit the team, the silver ranger shutting her samuraizer and putting it back in its pouch.

"Guys, I think I can do this, if I can get to his shell without him noticing," Kevin stated, the blue ranger thinking up a battle strategy on the fly. Then, he turned his attention to the yellow ranger. "Emily, I'm going to need your help with this." He added, and Emily nodded.

"Whatever you need, I'm there!" Emily responded cheerfully, and Jayden handed the black box to Kevin.

"Super Samurai Mode should give you the power you need," Jayden explained, and Kevin took the talisman from the red ranger's gloved hand. "Finish your plan, Kevin. I know you can do it." He urged, and Kevin nodded.

"Thanks, Jayden! Emily, come with me." Kevin commanded, and the four others were tasked with keeping the nighlok busy.

As Jayden blocked the nighlok's arms, Brooke attacked its stomach, Mike and Mia attacking the monster's sides. The pink and green rangers grabbed the nighlok's arms, and it fired two blasts out of its eyes in retaliation. The silver and red rangers deflected the blasts with their blades.

 _"Symbol Power: Hole!"_ Emily yelled, drawing a symbol, and activating it. A hole appeared, and Kevin hopped into it, going into super samurai mode.

The white and gold forked cape materialized on the blue ranger as he emerged from the hole next to the nighlok. He landed attack after attack on the nighlok's shell, but it still wasn't enough. The nighlok rolled up into a ball and started bouncing, and Kevin somehow _kicked_ it away. Which surely would've ended up in a broken foot, but it _didn't,_ surprisingly. As the nighlok got kicked away, Kevin put the dragon disk in the black box, spinning the super samurai disk on his spin-sword.

 _"Dragon Disk: Super Spin-Sword Slash!"_ Kevin yelled out the final attack, slashing with his sword. The blue attack hit the nighlok and caused it to blow up in the sky, and the five other members congratulated the blue ranger.

After the nighlok appeared in its second form, the team went into megamode power. And without Antonio to form the wolf armor megazord, Brooke was just in her wolf zord, the mechanical wolf bouncing around. It presumably saw the nighlok as a giant tennis ball and wanted to play with it, letting out happy barks.

"Oh look, target practice!" The nighlok snickered, shooting lasers out of its eyes at the wolf zord. Which the mechanical wolf dodged with ease as the samurai megazord fired off its samurai strike attack.

The nighlok just spun around, and the attack hit its shell, not causing any damage. "Haha, no luck rangers! My shell is healed and as good as new! I'm invincible!" The nighlok sneered, rolling up in its ball form and launching itself through the air, hitting the wolf zord and the samurai megazord.

The wolf zord let out a pained whine when the nighlok slammed itself into the mechanical wolf, the cockpit shaking. Brooke grabbed onto the control panel for balance, gritting her teeth as she rooted her booted feet to the ground. Why they didn't do the shell-breaking combination, to begin with, was beyond Brooke, and she just accepted it as she regained her balance.

First, the original five formed the Beetle Blaster Megazord, Mike firing off an attack that shot fire at the nighlok. Forming the Swordfish Phaser Megazord, Kevin sent a large amount of water at the nighlok, which left the final attack.

 _"Samurai Artillery!"_ Brooke called, attaching the tiger disk to her control panel and spinning it. _"Tiger Drill Megazord! Armed for Battle!"_ She finished as she appeared in the cockpit of the main megazord, folding up her megablade and sticking it into the control panel. Pushing her the joystick that was her folded megablade forward, Brooke fired off the _Tiger Drill Charge_ attack, but it still wasn't enough.

Her and Jayden shared a look underneath their helmets, which was a mix of mutual annoyance. Brooke felt the familiar headache that was signaling she was low on symbol power starting to form, and when Kevin formed the Wolf and Claw Armor Samurai Megazord and the Samurai Battle Cannon, it only worsened. Still, it was going to be over soon.

"We've got a message for you, nighlok. It's time for you to hit the road." Jayden stated as he unfolded his megablade, and Brooke glanced at him, wearing a small smile underneath her helmet. _He was cute._

The nighlok seemed unfazed, only letting out a mocking laugh. "Oooh, I'm shaking in my boots!" The monster mocked, and the five other rangers unfolded their megablades as well.

"This is no laughing matter, nighlok! _Samurai Battle Cannon: Battle Cannon Blast!"_ Kevin yelled, firing off the attack. The attack successfully destroyed the nighlok, _finally,_ the monster dying in a loud explosion.

 _"Samurai Rangers: Victory is Ours,"_ Kevin called the finishing line, and with that, the battle was finally over.

* * *

Once on the ground and demorphed, Brooke was planning to just find Antonio and collect him, but that wasn't the case. Instead, she made a noise of surprise when Mia and Emily grabbed her arms, pulling her away from the rest of the team. Grey-gold eyes met blue, and Jayden only responded with raised eyebrows and a small smile. He shrugged, and Brooke let out a quiet groan of annoyance.

Once they were out of earshot from the guys, Mia and Emily let go of Brooke's arms. "What the hell was _that_ about?" Brooke questioned, quirking a brow and her eyes flashing. Her body throbbed, and while she cared about the two girls, she really didn't want to deal with whatever this was right now.

"What's going on between you and Jayden?" Mia questioned, rather enthusiastically, and Brooke knit her brows, peering at the pink ranger quizzically.

"Nothing?" Brooke replied skeptically, her eyes flashing as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Where's this coming from?" She wondered- and she really wished this _wasn't_ happening.

"You're wearing his flannel," Emily pointed out, and Brooke just raised her eyebrows in response. "And he praises you in battle a lot, and he's changed a lot since you've been on the team. Before he was just stoic and never really said anything, now he's all smiley around you." She added, and Brooke glanced back at Jayden, who was laughing faintly at a joke Mike made. He _changed?_

"We're friends, nothing more," Brooke replied softly, turning her attention back to the two girls. She didn't know how to feel about Jayden, really. Sure, they were physically affectionate to each other, but they were _friends._ That's all they could be because she was a soldier and he was her leader. Brooke knew that from the very beginning. "Anyways- I'm going to find Goldie, so, I'll meet up with you guys back at the Shiba House." She stated, and before Mia and Emily could say anything, she had disappeared in a flash of silver thanks to Amaris.

Brooke appeared in an alleyway in a flash of silver, hooking her thumbs on her belt loops. Silently thanking Amaris for getting her out of 50 questions with Emily and Mia, she started her walk to the pier. As she walked down the familiar streets, she turned over what Emily said in her mind. Had Jayden changed? He had opened up more because they were both significantly less stressed because Deker was gone. That usually helps with those kinds of things, and Jayden was just _Jayden,_ and that was fine.

Letting out a groan, Brooke shook those thoughts out of her head, messaging her temple. The "low on symbol power" headaches didn't become any more bearable as time let out, and it felt like her skull was being split open. But, it could be dealt with, and the headache became secondary as she reached the pier. She spotted Antonio, but more importantly, she spotted Antonio's _morpher._

It was just lying on the ground, and Brooke shook her head with a small smile as she walked over and picked it up. "Christ, Goldie." She muttered, walking over to Antonio. She knew her sparkly ranger in arms was going to get the lecture of his lifetime, and, knowing Antonio, he probably didn't even know it was gone.

Brooke tapped Antonio's shoulder lightly, and he jumped in surprise slightly. When he noticed it was Brooke, he took his headphones off his ears, breaking into a wide smile. "Hey!" He greeted, and she grinned.

"You dropped something." Brooke teased, lightly tossing Antonio his morpher. He caught it with ease, looking at Brooke gratefully.

"Woah, thanks," Antonio thanked, and Brooke raised her eyebrows, grinning. "Ji would kill me if I lost this thing." He remarked, and Brooke snorted.

"Oh, I think he just might. Or you're getting one of Red's infamous lectures," Brooke replied, and Antonio looked at her quizzically, then opened his morpher. The gold ranger's face paled slightly, and the silver snickered. "Yeah, you missed a nighlok- both times it attacked." She stated, and Antonio's eyes widened.

"Is everyone alright?" Antonio asked, and Brooke nodded, patting him on the shoulder.

"Let's just go home," Brooke answered with a small smile, and after Antonio packed up his fishing stuff, the gold and silver rangers walked side-by-side. "You're gonna get lectured to death." She teased, and Antonio shot a playful glare at her.

"Don't remind me," Antonio grumbled, and Brooke let out a bark of laughter, the two rangers walking down the streets of Panorama.


	23. fish and gnomes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When most of the team and her two childhood friends get turned into inanimate objects, Brooke realizes that she relies on others more than she thought, Which, in her mind, was a weakness.

The next day, Brooke found herself at the city swap meet with Antonio. It was a little crowded and somewhat overwhelming, but she ignored it, for the most part, trying to block out the slight headache she had. Other than that, it was enjoyable, and it was a nice change of pace from hitting the floor. _Or the wall._ But, that also meant she had to work on the despair symbol tonight- and that would be less than ideal. But still, it needed to get done, and Brooke knew she was the only person who could do it. It was what she was made for, after all.

Shaking those thoughts out of her head, Brooke focused on just having a good time with Antonio. "Thanks for inviting me, Goldie." She thanked, sitting at the small wooden table next to Antonio's booth, where, to nobody's surprise, he was making fish and burgers. The normalcy of it was relaxing.

"It's my pleasure, I figured you could use the break," Antonio replied, and Brooke nodded, a small smile on her face.

The bruises on her arms still weren't gone, but they were hidden by a thin grey hoodie. Which wasn't _unbearable,_ but it wasn't the most comfortable thing. Still, the bruises also reminded Brooke of living with James, as they were similar to the ones she used to get because of him. She would rather deal with being somewhat hot than going on a trip to trauma-land. Anything was easier than that.

"I dunno how you got the black box programmed so fast. I'm kinda struggling with the cage symbol, not gonna lie." Brooke confessed, tracing a grain in the wooden table with a claw.

"Hey, don't be like that," Antonio chided, looking up from the small grill. Brooke quirked a brow in response, her eyes flashing. "I mean, you're doing something that usually takes years to complete, and you're not slacking off about it, Brooke. You're overthinking things." He reassured Brooke, who nodded faintly.

"Anyways, what is Master Chef Goldie making today?" Brooke teased, grinning when Antonio rolled his eyes at the nickname.

"You're horrible with the nicknames," Antonio stated, pointing a bottle of sauce at Brooke, who snickered and stuck out her tongue playfully in response. "To answer your question, it's my habanero hollandaise herring burger." He answered, and Brooke's eyes flashed.

She leaned back in her seat some, letting out a low whistle. "I mean, it already smells better than Mia's cooking, so you're doing fantastic in that regard," Brooke stated matter-of-factly, and Antonio laughed, shaking his head.

"Mia sets the bar _pretty low."_ Antonio retorted, and Brooke laughed, nodding with a grin.

Being out with Antonio and bit having to worry about being a ranger was nice. Of course, Brooke still had her samuraizer and zord on her- they were the essentials, after all. But, other than that, she almost forgot about her samurai duties, just talking with Antonio about nothing in particular. The silver and gold rangers just enjoyed each other's company, Brooke people watching as Antonio made food. She had somewhat gotten over her jealousy of wanting to be fully human, it was still there, just easier to shove down now. She watched civilians go about their normal lives- and it made her wonder what life would be like if they didn't have to fight the war. Regardless, Brooke was happy with how things were playing out now, even with the looming threat of Xandred's return. She tapped her fingers on the table, her happy mood falling somewhat as she sniffed the air.

 _Nighlok._ It was extremely faint, almost getting blocked out by the other smells, but still present. Brooke's eyes flashed as she scanned the area, her claws growing in subconsciously. Still, everything seemed relatively fine, so she convinced herself that it was just her mind playing tricks on her. Brooke forced herself to relax, turning her attention back to Antonio.

"Wow, what is up with that guy?" Antonio muttered, and Brooke felt the corners of her lips twitch.

"I think that's bullying- _oh,"_ Brooke cut herself off, her eyes flashing and settling on grey-gold when they landed on the man Antonio was talking about. "Uh, I don't think this is just people playing pretend." She thought aloud, furrowing her brows.

The man seemed to be pretending to be the mailbox he was standing next to. He was on his knees, his hands held up to represent the slot, and Brooke tore her attention away from the man when she heard a faint _zap._ A bicyclist was next, getting on his hands and knees and pretending to be his bike, and Brooke rose from her seat. The smell of nighlok was stronger now, and her eyes snapped around the area, lips curling around her canines. She knew she should try to keep her wolf features discreet, but at this point, she didn't care. It wasn't the weirdest thing right now.

 _Well, there goes that sense of normalcy,_ Brooke thought bitterly, turning her attention to Antonio. "Fuck." She muttered, running over and crouching down next to the gold ranger.

Antonio was lying on the ground, his hands pressed to his sides and his knees slightly bent. Brooke looked around, and she almost laughed. _Almost._ Of course, the fisherman was a fish, it was ironic. Still, it wasn't good, and that meant that Brooke was the only ranger in the area. She rose from her crouch, honing in on the nighlok's scent and jogging in that direction, taking her samuraizer out of her pocket and flipping it open. She called Jayden, and he picked up on the first ring.

 _"Everything alright?"_ Jayden greeted, and Brooke grit her teeth. As the smell of nighlok got stronger, the number of people who were presumably random objects increased.

"Not necessarily," Brooke replied, her voice hard. "There's a nighlok here," On cue, she heard the gap sensor go off, and Jayden presumably running to the meeting room. "It's turning people into objects… or something like that. Goldie's a fish," She explained, spotting the nighlok.

 _"We'll be right there. Stay safe."_ Jayden advised, and Brooke smiled weakly as she crouched behind an old couch, staying out of sight.

"Always am," Brooke replied, ending the call. She summoned her Wolf Kunai, sliding the moon disk on the weapon. She felt Amaris' presence in the back of her mind, and it was strangely comforting at times like these. Steeling her nerves, she stepped out from her hiding spot, spinning the moon disk. _"Crescent Slash!"_ She yelled, sending the purple attack hurtling towards the nighlok and causing it to fall on the ground.

The nighlok had a lion's head on its stomach and pointers on its arms. "Ah, silver ranger," The nighlok greeted and Brooke morphed into her suit without saying a word. "Have you come to join the fun?" The monster cackled, and Brooke went into her soldier mentality.

"This isn't my type of fun, so I'm gonna put an end to it." Brooke challenged, drawing her katanas and running forward.

It was actually pretty easy, for the most part. The nighlok sent a pointer hurtling towards her, but the silver ranger just cut through it, swinging at the nighlok. Which it blocked with its weapon, which was a naginata with blades at both ends. Brooke had settled into a routine, blocking the nighlok's attacks and returning with her own. Soon, she saw red out of the corner of her eye, and with a discreet nod to Jayden, she stepped back some.

"Surprise!" Jayden yelled, jumping up and landing a strong downwards strike, the silver and red rangers then regrouping. "We got here as soon as we could. Glad to see you're alright." He remarked, and Brooke smiled underneath her silver helmet.

"Don't feel like getting turned into an inanimate object today. Let's end this." Brooke challenged, and Jayden nodded, the two running forward.

The pair soon settled into their unspoken routine, defending each other's weak points and blocking the nighlok's pointers. They weren't making much progress on the nighlok, sure, but they weren't inanimate objects yet. That was better than nothing, but the two eventually ended up getting hit, Brooke in the shoulder and stomach, and she hit the ground with a hiss of pain. Jayden didn't end up in a much better situation, as he got slashed in the stomach and staggered back.

Brooke felt her eyes widen when the nighlok raised an arm at Jayden. She left her katanas on the ground, shifting and lunging at the nighlok. Still, the monster had other ideas, firing a blast at the brown wolf. However, before the blast could make contact, a translucent purple shield blocked the blast, Amaris appearing in a flash of silver. The two wolves were white and brown puffballs, their fur bristled.

"I think it's time for a change!" The nighlok cackled, and before wolf-Brooke could move, the pointer was already embedded into Jayden's chest. The red ranger instantly froze, his spin-sword clattering on the ground.

Brooke shifted back, steeling her nerves. It would end up okay, it was just a minor setback. _Right._ The team seemed to be on it anyway, the four others running forward, but the nighlok seemed to have a better idea. _"Switch Blast!"_ The monster called, firing a blast that would surely knock the four rangers off of their feet. The four prepared themselves for the impending pain, but it never came.

Instead, Amaris teleported over to the four, setting up another purple shield that blocked the blast. Still, nobody could find the voice to thank the white wolf. They could only just watch in shock for a moment as the nighlok fired another pointer. It embedded itself into a garden gnome, surprisingly not breaking the ceramic figure.

"Time to make a switch!" The nighlok exclaimed, and yellow energies traveled from Jayden and the garden gnome. The energies ran up the pointers and into the nighlok's body, presumably transferring them.

Jayden made something akin to a noise of pain, his ranger suit disappearing in a flash of red and the kanji for fire. He then seemed to twitch for a moment, his mouth breaking into an uncharacteristically wide smile. He went into a pose identical to the one of the garden gnome and went rigid, unmoving beside the faint rise and fall of his chest and him blinking. Brooke instantly ran over, sheathing one of her katanas and waving a gloved hand in front of his face, flicking him in the forehead for good measure. His blue eyes were dull, not showing a hint of emotion, and it was unnerving to Brooke. This whole thing was unnerving- and the fact that _both_ of her childhood friends were inanimate objects didn't sit right with her. Still, she shoved that aside as she faced the nighlok, Amaris at her side, the white wolf in a defensive stance, her ears flattened to her head.

"Haha, Switchbeast, you've done it again," The nighlok, Switchbeast, congratulated itself, and Brooke felt her heart stop somewhat as the nighlok sauntered over to the garden gnome. Its naginata was surely sharp enough to break the gnome with ease, and that's what the nighlok presumably wanted to do. "Time to finish him off! Just one blow and the red ranger is history!" The monster cheered, and Brooke went into autopilot.

Her thoughts were getting too rampant, so Brooke shoved them aside as she blocked the nighlok's naginata with a katana. "Your defeat is going to be in the history books- not ours!" She growled, pushing the nighlok away from the garden gnome and landing strong strikes against the monster.

It felt weird not having Jayden by her side, and Brooke missed it. Luckily, Amaris was here, and while the white wolf couldn't fight, she could _defend._ She was putting up purple shields whenever Switchbeast attacked where Brooke couldn't block or dodge. It helped out immensely, as she still had someone to cover her weak points, and she silently thanked the wolf for being around. Still, Switchbeast landed a hard swing on Amaris' side that sent the white wolf to the ground with a sharp whine.

"Amaris!" Brooke called, her voice filling with worry, and this time she _couldn't block_ the Switch Blast. It hit her head-on, and the silver ranger fell to the ground with a groan. It felt like she had stuck a fork in an electrical socket, and Brooke's back throbbed from the amount of force he hit the ground with.

Mia and Kevin also got hit by Switchbeast's blasts, the pink and blue rangers tumbling into a pile of boxes. Then, Switchbeast's pointers shot out, collecting what were presumably the two rangers' spirits, switching them into objects. That fact alone caused Brooke to bite back a scream of frustration. _Well, that was four down,_ she thought bitterly, ignoring the tension headache that had started to surface.

"Oh no, you don't!" Emily threatened, running forward and rushing Switchbeast. The yellow ranger managed to land a couple of strikes on the nighlok, who staggered back.

Switchbeast's body started to grey, and cracks started appearing. Brooke cursed under his breath at that, her eyes flickering to the garden gnome and then Jayden. She silently apologized to the red ranger- as he was a _garden gnome._ And he would be stuck that way for a while, it seemed like.

"Dried out already?" Switchbeast exclaimed as more cracks started to appear on its body. "I need Sanzu River water to recharge! This isn't over yet, rangers!" The nighlok exclaimed, disappearing into a crack in a flash of dark red.

"You won't get away with this next time!" Emily challenged, sheathing her spin-sword and turning her attention to the pile of boxes that Mia and Kevin fell into. "Mia, Kevin!" She called, and Brook and Amaris were at her side, sifting through the boxes.

The two were demorphed, but Brooke and Mike set the pair on their feet, then retrieving Antonio and the fish that he was. Brooke did a headcount. Antonio was a fish, Jayden was a garden gnome, Kevin was a ballerina on top of a music box (which Mike got a kick out of), and Mia was a fan. So, it was pretty much half of the rangers down, and the three remaining rangers, and white wolf, shared a worried look.

"I'll call Ji," Mike announced, flipping open his samuraizer and calling the older man.

When the _Samurai SUV_ showed up- which was the funniest thing about this, Brooke popped open the trunk. The driver just looked deadpan, and it made her wonder if he was just numb to the ranger business by now. Or if he was just getting paid enough to _act_ numb.

"So," Mike started, glancing at the trunk of the car and then the four tranced rangers. "Are we just going to, like, throw them in there? Or…" He trailed, and Emily tried her best to put on her normal cheerful attitude.

"Hopefully more gently than throwing them, but that's the plan," Emily responded, opening the back door, and setting fish-Antonio, who was now in a container on one of the seats.

"I'll take Red if you take Kevin?" Brooke asked Mike, and her eyes flashed when he grinned.

"Not into Kevin like that, but you can take Jayden all you want." Mike snickered, and Brooke shot him a deadpan expression while Emily told him to be nice.

"You know what I meant. C'mon, before someone sees this and calls the cops," Brooke retorted, her eyes flashing, and Mike laughed but complied. She walked over to Jayden, chewing on her bottom lip as she came up with a game plan. "Sorry, Red." She muttered, lifting him over her shoulder. It was partly wolf strength, as brown and white fur sprouted on her hands, but Brooke was still struggling somewhat.

Mike did the same with Kevin, and the silver and green rangers shared a look of worry when the yellow ranger spoke. "Are they going to fit?" Emily wondered, and Brooke cringed.

She thought about posing them like dolls, but Brooke didn't even know if they had the ability to do that. Or if they were just rooted in their positions because that seemed to be the case. Plus, she didn't want to be "posing" Jayden, even if it wasn't him. It was still his _body,_ and the fact that Brooke had him hoisted over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes was awkward enough. She shot a glance back at the gnome, and really hoped the others couldn't see this, and that they were unconscious or something like that. Because this? This was _awkward._

"I think he can fit- MIKE!" Brooke cut herself off, shooting a glare at Mike, who had burst into laughter. "What are you, _eight_?" She spat, and Mike seemed to not care.

The green ranger responded to the silver ranger's glare by raising his eyebrows, a grin growing on his lips. "Go on, can Jayden fit?" Mike snickered, and Brooke shot an exasperated look at Emily, who returned it with a small smile and a shrug.

Eventually, the three rangers got the four others in the car. It was a tight squeeze, but they managed to get the rangers, and the objects they were into the trunk. Amaris was curled around gnome-Jayden, laying on the back row of seats, and Brooke crawled in, sitting next to the white wolf. Emily and Mike followed suit, the green and yellow rangers sitting next to each other a row ahead of Brooke.

"How the hell did it come to _this?"_ Mike wondered aloud as the driver, who was still deadpan, started driving towards the Shiba House.

"I'd give you an answer if I had one," Brooke responded, running a clawed hand through Amaris' fur and glancing at gnome-Jayden. This was the most absurd thing yet, and she let out a quiet groan of annoyance, leaning back on the headrest. _It was just bad luck, and nothing more._

* * *

After awkwardly unloading the rangers from the car- Ji watching Mike, Brooke, and Emily in concern the entire time, the three stood in the meeting room, radiating worry. Amaris was still present, the white wolf sitting next to Brooke with her fluffy ears pressed to her head and violet eyes shining with worry. She didn't say anything, but the wolf's body language showed her concern.

"So, uh…" Brooke trailed, making a random motion with her clawed hand as if to say "I don't know".

"Do you think they're… awake in there?" Emily wondered as she tapped on gnome-Jayden's hat, waving a hand in front of his face.

Ji shot a look at Brooke, whose eyes flashed. "The nighlok switches people's spirits into objects, and then their bodies take the shape of the object." She explained, glancing at Antonio, who was lying on three seats pushed together and then Jayden. She really wished they were back in their bodies. It's not because she didn't dislike Mike or Emily- but she fought better with Antonio and Jayden. Brooke knew that they would have to get rid of this nighlok quickly before the entire team is objects, and the war is lost because Jayden's a garden gnome or something like that. That would be a way to lose the war, if any.

"What should we do?" Emily asked, Brooke and Mike, well, now just Mike because Brooke had left the room.

"That nighlok tried to smash the gnome after Jayden was switched into it," Mike blurted, pointing at gnome-Jayden for emphasis. "I think if the object is destroyed, the person is to." He concluded, and Brooke nodded as she walked back into the room.

"It's a sound plan, in actuality," Brooke stated, setting her notebook, a pen, and her family's archives on the coffee table. "They can't fight back and are defenseless. The nighlok knew what it was doing." She explained, sitting at her usual seat- which felt empty without Jayden beside her. However, Amaris took the empty spot, the white wolf hopping up and sitting next to Brooke.

"So, is it like your wolf form?" Emily questioned Brooke, whose eyes flashed as she propped a chin on her fist.

"I suppose so?" It was more of a question than an answer, and Brooke furrowed her brows, chewing on her bottom lip. "My spirit, technically, gets moved into a new form. But it's different because my body has completely changed, but their human counterparts are still here. And it does take a lot of mental capacity and energy to switch forms, so it would probably harm them since their bodies aren't made for switching. You have to have a certain bone structure, and I had it even before I went under the experimentation." She rambled, and the two were listening intently. But she cut herself off, the three remaining rangers all coming to the same thought.

"All those people, we have to save them!" Emily urged, and Brooke let out a heavy sigh as she flipped open her notebook and the archive.

"I'll see if there's any symbol that can reverse _this_ ," Brooke muttered, motioning to the inanimate objects for emphasis. "But I think defeating the nighlok is our only hope." And with that, she got to work.

Emily and Mike left in a couple of minutes, and Brooke now had her headphones in, flipping through one of the archives about symbol power. She was translating as she read, skimming the pages for anything useful. It didn't seem to be the case, and she just spent the next thirty minutes staring at the pages without retaining any information. Amaris was resting her head on Brooke's thigh- and it was almost domestic, even though her leader and one of her childhood friends was staring at her as a garden gnome.

This also gave Brooke a time to just _think_ and sort through her thoughts. Most importantly, her thoughts about _Jayden._ She didn't want to admit it to herself- sleeping in and waking up in his arms made her feel more loved than she's felt in a while. And while she had developing feelings for him, it's not like she acted on them. They were the silver and red rangers, and they were just friends. That was fine, Brooke would take it over nothing, and she also knew if she survived this war, she would want a normal life. And while she wanted Jayden by her side, she didn't know what he wanted to do with his life. And that was all speculation, there was a chance that they couldn't make it out of the war alive. She didn't even know if he would want her around for that long. Still, Brooke shook those worries out of her mind- Jayden was here now, and that was enough. That was more than enough.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Mike walk into the room, so Brooke focused on that. Pausing her music, she took out her headphones, raising her eyebrows at the tutu in the green ranger's hand. "Is that for Kevin?" She asked, her eyes flashing as Mike grinned.

"We _really_ need him to play the part," Mike snickered, walking over to where Kevin was standing. "You find anythin'?" He asked, and Brooke shook her head as she watched Mike force the tutu on Kevin.

"No, it's never easy," Brooke replied as Mike stepped back, admiring his handiwork. The blue ranger had a large pink tutu around her waist and even Amaris seemed amused. "He's gonna kill you once this is all over. You know that, right?" She warned with a snicker, and Mike shrugged, grinning.

"It's worth it," Mike responded, flipping open his samuraizer and taking pictures.

Brooke just shook her head with a small grin, petting Amaris. "It's your funeral." She replied, and Mike laughed, flipping his samuraizer shut.

"Like I said, it's worth it," Mike repeated himself, and Brooke rolled her eyes, returning her attention back to the archives.

Eventually, Brooke gave up. She made a noise of annoyance, throwing her pen on the table. "Son of a bitch." She muttered, running a clawed hand over her face, and Amaris sat up fully, nuzzling Brooke's cheek.

 _"You are doing fine, my dear,"_ Amaris reassured Brooke, who just let out a heavy sigh and glared at her notebook. It was all aggravating to no end, and it seemed to be never-ending. Her notebook was starting to fill up, actually, and Brooke couldn't even be proud of it.

She just looked at the blue pen ink smudged on the side of her hand, her eyes flashing. "I know, it's just frustrating," Brooke complained, standing up from her seat and walking out of the meeting room. Amaris followed her, the white wolf padding next to the silver ranger.

The two reached the outdoor dojo, Emily and Mike turning their head at the sound of Amaris' claws on the wooden floor. "How's it going?" Emily greeted, and Brooke shook her head.

"Nowhere," Brooke confessed, her eyes flashing. "I couldn't find anything. I'm sorry." She apologized, and Emily shook her head, the yellow ranger shooting the silver a warm smile.

"It's okay, you did what you could," Emily stated, and Mike was about to chime in when Brooke's samuraizer started beeping.

Not soon after, the gap sensor started blaring as well. Ji appeared at the doorway, black box in hand. "Mike, before you go, I think you're going to need this." He advised, holding out the black box.

"The black box?" Mike wondered, looking down at the talisman and then back up at Ji. "I'm not sure I can handle this. Why not Brooke?" He asked, and Brooke's eyes flashed as she broke into a grin.

"Not my time yet, Mike. You can handle it, I'm sure of it." Brooke reassured Mike, who nodded and took the black box out of Ji's hand.

"Alright, I have a plan," Mike announced, staring down at the black box for a moment. "It's gonna be a little bit risky- and a little bit crazy." He added, and Brooke raised her eyebrows as Emily smiled.

"Sounds like a Mike plan. What is it?" Emily mused, and Brooke could hear the hint of adoration in her voice. Which was _great,_ because she now had something to hold over the yellow ranger's head when she asked about Jayden. Anything to deflect that mess of emotions was good.

Mike explained his plan and then turned his attention to Brooke. "Thoughts? You're basically the second Jayden when he's not around." He teased, and Brooke rolled her eyes with a small smile.

"Sounds like fun," Brooke agreed, hooking her thumbs on her belt loops. "Rangers, let's move out." She commanded, taking one of Jayden's usual lines, and the three sprinted through the Shiba House, bursting through the front doors.

* * *

The three found Switchbeast just walking around, civilians screaming in terror and running away. Which was valid- as the nighlok was one of the less scary ones, but it didn't look _harmless._ It made Brooke wonder why people even stayed in Panorama at this point, the city had more cons than pros. Almost every day there was a nighlok attack, and surely that must be somewhat traumatizing. The actual architecture of the city got damaged from time to time as well, so it was a miracle that the city was still bustling with life. However, Brooke shook those thoughts out of her head as the three made their pseudo-line-up, the silver ranger in the middle of the green and the yellow, Amaris having returned to Sweetbrier Mountain.

"Ah, they're singing my favorite song!" Switchbeast sneered as more civilians ran away screaming.

"Well, we're changing this soundtrack to the song of your defeat!" Brooke threatened, flipping open her samuraizer and activating the brush portion. "It's showtime!" She called, and Mike and Emily followed suit.

 _"Samuraizer: Go Go Samurai!"_ The three yelled in unison, drawing their respective symbols. The kanji for wolf hung in the middle of the kanji for forest and earth, the three rangers activating their symbols. _"Samurai Ranger: Ready!"_ The three then leapt towards the nighlok, the battle commencing.

Switchbeast didn't even have moogers, which was something Brooke found nice. Still, she didn't like the fact that she had to allow herself to get hit, falling to the ground. It made her feel weak, but she knew it was for Mike's plan, so she grit her teeth and bared it. Speaking of, the green ranger now had one of Switchbeast's pointers embedded in its chest, and the silver ranger sheathed her blades and shifted.

"Okay Greenie, let's see what we should switch you with! Something nice and easy to smash!" Switchbeast snickered, firing out its other pointer. But before the pointer could make contact with anything, wolf-Brooke lunged.

The brown wolf clamped its jaw around the pointer, landing on all for paws and wagging her tail excitedly. She dropped the pointer, Emily instantly grabbing it and running forward, sticking it to Switchbeast. The green ranger and the nighlok's spirits switched bodies, Switchbeast-Mike letting out a cheer. He sounded like himself, despite being in a nighlok's body, and wolf-Brooke found that amusing as she ran over to Mike and Emily. The taste of nighlok was now present in her mouth, and it made her gag some, but she tried to ignore it.

"What? What did you guys do to me?" Mike-Switchbeast growled, the green ranger having a strange hold on his spin-sword. His posture was also off, his shoulders hunched and stance wide.

"Yeah, my plan worked!" Switchbeast-Mike cheered, the nighlok and yellow ranger high-fiving each other. "Okay Mr. Nighlok, now that you've had a taste of your own medicine, how about you tell us the quick and easy way to switch everybody back!" He demanded, the yellow ranger and brown wolf readying themselves into fighting stances.

"You sneaky snakes! Ugh, I feel all gross and hero-y!" Mike-Switchbeast exclaimed, looking down at the green ranger's body in disgust. Then, Switchbeast seemed to have an idea. "As loathsome as this body is, I bet you don't want anything to happen to it! Back off, or Greenie gets it!" It threatened, holding the green ranger's spin-sword up to its neck.

"Oh, you don't like my body?" Switchbeast-Mike mocked, holding up an arm. "Then we'll just put you somewhere else!" The pointer hit the green ranger in the chest, Emily connecting the other one to the soccer ball.

The ball and Switchbeast switched spirits, Mike's body curling up into a ball. "Brooke! Fetch!" Emily called, and the brown wolf seemed to roll her eyes.

Still, wolf-Brooke ran after the ball, acting like, well, a _dog._ She kicked the ball around with her paws, scratching at it and biting at it with her teeth. She made sure not to pop the ball, but she sure as hell got her revenge. The brown wolf played with the ball for a couple of moments, then sent it rolling towards Emily and Switchbeast-Mike with a bark. As Emily picked up the ball, Brooke shifted back, jogging over to the yellow ranger and the nighlok again.

Which, it was strange, just seeing a nighlok walk around and not attack them. But, Brooke found it amusing in some way, even if she had to play _fetch._ She watched with a small grin underneath her silver helmet as Switchbeast-Mike connected a pointer to the ball and the green ranger's helmet. It swapped their souls back, and Mike-Switchbeast instantly uncurled from his ball position with a groan.

"Ugh, that was just cruel! I think you broke a rib!" Mike-Switchbeast complained with a groan, and Brooke crossed her arms over her chest, raising her chin slightly.

"We can make your life a living hell," Brooke threatened, drawing her Wolf Kunai and spinning it in her hand. "Or you can switch everybody back. Which one will it be?" She questioned with a mocking tone, tapping a silver booted foot on the ground.

Mike-Switchbeast let out a growl, grumbling to itself for a couple of moments. "Fine, I'll do it!" The nighlok turned green ranger snapped, picking up the green ranger's discarded spin-sword. "Alright, hold completely still!" The green ranger then ran forward, slashing horizontally.

Sparks flew from where the sword made contact, and also a large yellow ball of spirits flew out of the nighlok. Mike and Switchbeast then changed back, the green ranger and nighlok back to their normal selves. The nighlok seemed to grow annoyed at this, and Brooke flipped open her samuraizer as it fired a blast.

_"Switch Blast!"_

_"Protection!"_

The silver shield protected the three rangers, the silver looking back at the green. "Now's your chance! Go for it, Mike!" Brooke urged, and Mike did just that.

As the green ranger went into super samurai mode, the yellow and silver rangers ran forward. They tussled with Switchbeast for a moment, until Brooke saw the gold Shiba crest appear and turn into the forked cape. Mike seemed pretty stoked about this turn of events because the enthusiasm was evident in his voice. "Hey nighlok, how are you? I'm feeling super. _Super Spin-Sword!"_ The green ranger called, attaching the black box to his spin-sword and running forward. "Let's finish this!" He challenged, and Brooke and Emily stepped away.

"With pleasure!" Switchbeast retorted, running forward as well, but Mike easily overpowered the nighlok.

His moves were _slightly_ less flashy than Jayden's but they were still just as strong. It wasn't long until the green ranger fired off his _super forest vortex_ move and the nighlok was defeated, dying in a large explosion. Brooke and Emily ran up, congratulating Mike for a moment, and then Switchbeast went into its second form.

Mike formed the Super Samurai Combination, the three rangers controlling the surplus of zords the team had. It took little time before Switchbeast was overpowered, the three rangers performing the double katana strike and the nighlok being defeated in a large explosion. The megazord struck its victory pose, Brooke letting Mike and Emily do the final call.

"Samurai Rangers-" Mike started, pumping his fist in the air excitedly.

"Victory is Ours!" Emily finished, and Brooke as the two rangers went into an adrenaline dump, panting.

She felt fine, and Brooke just dreaded working on the despite symbol tonight. Still, it needed to get done, and she shoved down her feelings of inadequacy. "Good job you two." She congratulated, leaning against her control panel, and Emily nodded.

"Let's never do that again." The yellow ranger stated, and the silver nodded with a faint laugh.

Brooke missed Jayden, strangely enough. It was her first battle in awhile where she didn't have him by her side- and it was almost foreign _._ But, something in her mind told her it was a weakness. That she needed to hold things on her own without Jayden by her side, and Brooke's eyes flashed underneath her helmet. _She needed to get stronger._ It wasn't a choice at this point, and she needed to get the despair symbol done. She needed to do her job, and it was only a matter of time before she stepped up to the plate and had to _use_ the cage symbol. And she wouldn't be like her mom. She would try to see the war to the end.

* * *

Still, she tried to be normal Brooke when she returned to the Shiba House. She saw the way Jayden brightened some, and that made her happy, her having a small smile on her face as Mike gave the team a rundown on what happened. The seven rangers were now having a normal lunch- which is something that usually never happened, seated at the table that was by the outdoor dojo. It was almost like a picnic, in a strange sense, and it was strangely domestic.

"I can't believe you changed bodies with Switchbeast. I never would've thought of that." Kevin stated, sitting down at the table, and Mike shook his head with a small grin.

"I didn't want to, and it was way creepy," Mike replied, and Brooke just listened to the conversation around her for the most part.

"And you did it by yourselves, just the three of you," Mia remarked sweetly, her gaze then flickering to Brooke, who quirked a brow, her eyes flashing. "Did you ever fight any nighlok before you joined the team?" The pink ranger asked the silver, who swallowed her mouthful of food and nodded.

"Yeah, I did," Brooke responded, flashing back to prom night with Casper. She didn't bring that up, only changing the subject somewhat. "I mean- I stole your guys' kills from time to time, so…" She trailed, her voice having a teasing tone as she grinned at Jayden, who rolled his eyes.

"If it weren't for you, I'd still be a gnome," Jayden started, mostly ignoring Brooke's teasing look. He knew that was going to happen, so he just let her have her fun. "So, thanks." He thanked, and soon the banter returned to normal.

After a couple of minutes, Brooke nudged Jayden's foot with her own. "Y'know, I did your job for you today. Maybe _I'm_ the red ranger after all." She snickered, and Jayden shot her a deadpan expression, which soon became a small smile.

"You sound awfully proud of yourself," Jayden retorted, and Brooke nodded, grinning. "I'm surprised you're not having a field day over the whole gnome thing." He mused, and Brooke's eyes flashed as her grin grew wider.

"I'm changing the nickname, it isn't Red anymore," Brooke blurted, and Jayden raised his eyebrows as he took a sip of his water. "It's Gnome now." She announced, and he let out a fake groan of annoyance, which Brooke pretended to be hurt at.

"I like Red. Gnome doesn't have the same ring to it." Jayden replied, and Brooke nodded slowly, chewing on another bite of her burger.

She never got Antonio's burger- and that made her somewhat annoyed, and Brooke made the mental note to try to get Antonio to cook for her again. "True, we gotta stick to the original ten-year-old Brooke, here," She agreed after she took a sip of her water. "I missed you fighting by my side. It was kinda weird, not gonna lie," Brooke confessed, and when Jayden presumably _choked,_ she raised her eyebrows at him, her eyes flashing. "What? Don't choke to death." She advised as Jayden coughed.

"It's nothing," Jayden replied quickly, and he inwardly cringed at the heat rising to his cheeks. He didn't know _why_ that made him flustered, but it did. And he really wished it didn't, because Brooke silently called bullshit, pursing her lips slightly and raising her brows.

"Whatever you say, _Gnome,"_ Brooke replied, and when Jayden scowled at her in response, she laughed. "Relax, I'm fucking with you. You're fun to mess with." She stated, turning her attention to Kevin and Mike. The blue ranger was chasing the green, who was holding out his samuraizer, the pictures of him in a tutu presumably pulled up.

"You said the exact same thing to me when we started walking back home the first time," Jayden recalled the memory with a small smile- even if Brooke did throw acorns and bark at him. "It's changed a lot, hasn't it?" He thought aloud, and Brooke hummed.

She propped a chin on her fist, her eyes flashing. "If you told me that day that I would end up here, I'd call bullshit. I didn't even have a plan, I just enjoyed watching you get frustrated," Brooke confessed, and Jayden rolled his eyes. "But still, it's only been months but I've felt like I've been here for longer. It's strange. I'm not complaining, it's…" _Safe_ _here._ "Nice."

"I'm glad you're here," Jayden responded, and the two sat in comforting silence, just watching the team. It was a found family for the two people who never really had a true family to begin with.

"Heya, Red," Brooke broke the silence, and Jayden raised his eyebrows in response. "Imagine if I called you Jayden all the time. It would be a dark timeline." She stated, and Jayden laughed faintly.

"Red's fine with me," Jayden replied softly, and Brooke discreetly held his hand under the table.

"I'm glad." _I'm_ _glad I have you._

* * *

That night, Brooke stood in the middle of the outdoor dojo, her open samuraizer in her hand. She still had plenty of symbol power left- as the battle didn't take a lot, and she knew what she had to use it on. It was almost ten, and the sky was dark, the moon being covered with clouds. So, all that illuminated Brooke was the yellow light from the door lamp on the wall of the Shiba House. Not that she really cared, her wolf senses helped with her seeing in the dark. Training at night was always nice- it was always quieter and less overwhelming. Still, Brooke knew her training now _wouldn't be nice._

Mentally preparing herself for the clusterfuck the despair symbol was going to cause, Brooke took a deep breath. She activated the brush portion of her samuraizer, slowly drawing the symbol. It soon hung in the air in a brilliant silver, and Brooke tensed, subconsciously preparing herself for the symbol's self-destruction. _"Despair."_ She called softly, activating the symbol, and it instantly self-destructed.

Brooke got sent flying backwards, tumbling and landing on the gravel on her back. She let out a quiet sigh, picking herself up off of the ground and walking towards the middle of the outdoor dojo again. The cycle repeated itself again and again, and Brooke now wiped away some of the blood that dripped from her nose as she picked herself off of the ground. It seemed like no matter what she did- it wasn't going _anywhere._ And it might just be the exhaustion setting in, but it made her want to cry out of frustration. And that was a weakness.

So, she just shoved it down. Every time Brooke got knocked down, she picked herself up, ignoring the gravel dust that was covering her body. _"Despair."_ She choked out, making a mix of a whimper and a sob as she hit the ground again. Her entire body throbbed, and Brooke just stared at the sky for a moment from where she was lying on her back. It was pretty, and she used it as a distraction so she didn't burst into tears. After catching her breath, Brooke picked herself off of the ground again, staggering over to her samuraizer.

After more failed attempts, Brooke felt herself going numb. Everything just felt _fuzzy,_ and she didn't mind it. It was better than feeling the pain of her body hitting the ground or the headache that was now present. She wiped away more blood from her nose with the back of her hand, drawing the symbol again. It needed to get done, but Brooke couldn't find the strength as she hit the ground again, her samuraizer flying out of her hand and landing _somewhere._ She should probably care about that- but she didn't feel anything. It was all just numbness, and she started counting the stars.

Was Jayden going to come to help her? Brooke really wished he did- but she also didn't want to bother him. So she just picked some of the gravel out of the palms of her hands. Her nose had stopped bleeding after a couple of minutes, and that was good. Eventually, Brooke found herself falling asleep, and she almost did, until she heard footsteps across the gravel.

"Brooke, we've talked about this." Jayden started, helping Brooke sit up. She instantly clutched her head, letting out a groan as her nose started bleeding again.

"Red." It was the only sentence Brooke could form coherently, and she stared at Jayden with unfocused vision. She didn't feel anything- and her brain had just decided to turn off. Which was fine, in its own way.

"You're working yourself too hard," Jayden muttered, and Brooke shook her head, obviously not all there.

"It's what I need to do. I don't have a choice." Brooke stated, her voice monotone as she wiped away more blood from her nose. Her eyes landed on her samuraizer, which was lying a couple of feet away from her. Something in her mind told her to work on the despair symbol more, but physically? She couldn't.

"Brooke, you've done enough. At least for tonight, okay?" Jayden pleaded, cradling Brooke's face in his hands. "I know it's important. But you can only do so much at a time, and it's not going to be helpful if you work yourself to death-" He was cut off by Brooke wrapping her arms around his torso and pulling him into a tight hug.

"I don't wanna lose you," Brooke mumbled, and Jayden felt his eyes widen. "I wanna end this war with you by my side, Red. I want you around for as long as I can have you." Her voice was barely above a whisper, and Jayden pulled away for a moment.

"I'll always be here, Brooke. I promise," Jayden vowed, pressing a faint kiss to her forehead and hugging her tightly. The two sat there for a couple of minutes until Brooke let out a yawn. "Let's head to bed, I can stay with you if you want?" He offered, and Brooke nodded faintly.

The two rose to their feet, almost mirroring each other front the night Jayden worked on the beetle disk cannon. After he picked up Brooke's samuraizer, he offered himself as support, Brooke instantly falling into his side somewhat. He wrapped his hand around her waist, her throwing an arm around her shoulders. With that, the two walked, well, staggered back into the Shiba House.

* * *

After Brooke had taken a shower- which had shocked her brain into working again, she laid in Jayden's arms. Which was becoming a common theme, but she wasn't complaining. Amaris was also curled up at the foot of the bed, flickering due to the fact Brooke was running low on symbol power and was fast asleep, her snout tucked under her tail. She enjoyed it- it made her feel extremely safe and loved.

"You're a handful." Jayden blurted, his voice quiet, and Brooke let out a yawn.

"If you've come to just point me out on my flaws, I'm going to have to ask you to leave." Brooke retorted teasingly, her voice groggy and eyes half-lidded.

"Hey, you know how I meant it," Jayden chided, and Brooke laughed faintly, nodding. "You just have a tendency to destroy yourself, and I'm trying to prevent that from happening. You don't make it easy." He explained, and Brooke let out another yawn, rolling on her side so that her head rested on his chest.

"I know. I appreciate it," Brooke murmured, hearing Jayden's heartbeat. It was slow and even, and the smell of smoke and the forest filled her senses. It caused her to break into a weary smile, closing her tired eyes. "I appreciate you." She added, her voice barely above a whisper.

Jayden smiled faintly, pulling the blankets up around them more. Which was slightly difficult due to Amaris, and the white wolf opened a violet eye in annoyance of being woken up. So, he soon gave up on that, burying one of his hands in Brooke's hair. "I appreciate you too." He replied, and he felt as Brooke fell asleep in his arms.


	24. fears

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Antonio develops a fear of fish, Brooke finds out her own fears. Which includes bleeding out in her zord thanks to Serrator, who makes his appearance for the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> trigger warning: mentions of large amounts of blood/throwing up  
> a/n: my upload schedule is all over the place right now, my bad.

The next morning, Jayden woke up before Brooke did. Which was pretty common now, as she was usually dead to the world nine times out of ten. Such as now, where she was resting her head on his chest and deeply asleep. To be fair, it was early in the morning, the clock read 4:56am, and Jayden just enjoyed the time he had with Brooke in his arms. He had to leave before the others woke up- he always had to, as he  _knew_ the others wouldn't leave them alone about it. So, that always meant he had to get out of bed far sooner than he would've liked. It was still dark, and the only source of light was the faint silver glow emitting from Amaris, who was curled into a ball. Which she had stopped flickering, so that means Brooke wasn't running out of symbol power anymore, which was something Jayden found reassuring. Symbol power was a fickle thing- and one of the last things he wanted was Brooke burning herself out to the point where she couldn't even harness symbol power anymore.

Jayden let out a quiet yawn, tightening his hold on Brooke. He had nightmares, but she had calmed him down to the best of her abilities, and he thanked her for it. It was much more reassuring to wake up to someone telling him it was just a nightmare than from his own panic. It was the best sleep Jayden's had in a while, even if it was interrupted by his nightmares. Having someone in his arms was a nice feeling.

"Go back to sleep," Brooke's groggy voice snapped Jayden out of his thoughts, and he raised a brow. "It's dark out. Sleep." That was her only explanation, and Jayden felt the corners of his lips twitch.

"And what if I don't?" Jayden retorted, and he felt as Brooke readjusted her position in his arms, the blankets rustling somewhat.

"I'll get Amaris to lay on you," Brooke threatened with a yawn, looking up at him. She could still see him, faintly, and she reached up, tracing his jawline with her fingertips. She also felt Jayden stiffen and then relax, his heart rate increasing. "It's peaceful now. Stay for a bit, please." She pleaded, and Jayden smiled fondly.

"I'm not going anywhere," Jayden vowed, and Brooke made a noise of contentment.

"Good, 'cause I want you here," Brooke stated, getting comfortable and falling back asleep quickly.

Jayden looked down at Brooke in his arms, smiling faintly. "I'm happy to be here." He murmured, closing his eyes. It was almost like they _weren't_ power rangers fighting in a war, and he selfishly wished that he could stay like this. But, he had a job to do, and Jayden knew that. He knew Brooke knew that, but right now, they just basked in the peace of it all. With that thought in his mind, he fell back into a light sleep, a small smile on his face.

* * *

The mornings always went by peacefully, Brooke getting slammed into the wall and floor was now just a fact of life. Now she was grateful that her samuraizer was going off- she knew that she shouldn't be, but it was better than hitting the wall. It was something to help get her frustration out as well, because the despair symbol made her pissed off- and Brooke didn't know if it was because of the symbol itself or just the lack of progress. It was probably a mixture of both, and her eyes flashed as she power-walked into the meeting room after changing out of her training uniform.

She stood next to Jayden for a moment, tracing a route with her finger as she flipped open her samuraizer. "Follow me," Brooke commanded, and the five rangers nodded. As she ran, she dialed Antonio's number, bringing up her samuraizer up to her ear.

 _"Hello?"_ Antonio greeted, sounding rather _depressed_. He had been out of the Shiba House all morning- and it made Brooke slightly worried. Still, she pushed that aside.

"There's trouble in the city center, can you meet us there?" Brooke asked, and she knit her brows when Antonio didn't respond, almost stopping in her tracks. "Hey, did you hear me?" She questioned, raising her eyebrows at Jayden, who furrowed his.

 _"Yeah,"_ Antonio responded, and before Brooke could say anything, the line went dead.

Letting out a heavy sigh, she just activated the brush portion of her samuraizer. Drawing the wolf symbol, Brooke activated it, the silver suit appearing on her body. The rest of the team followed suit, no pun intended, and they quickly reached the city center. The six rangers skidded to a stop, forming their usual line as civilians screamed and ran away from moogers. _Just moogers-_ which was good.

The silver and red rangers shared a discreet nod, sliding their zord disks on their respective weapons. Spinning the disks, the blades lit up silver and red respectively, Brooke and Jayden yelling out the attacks as they slashed and fired them off.

_"Lone Wolf!"_

_"Blazing Strike!"_

The two attacks dealt with a large number of moogers, but more just appeared in their places. Which was fine, Brooke knew it wasn't going to be that simple. She was happy to get into a battle where nothing much was at stake, moogers were just blade fodder. Still, she was slightly worried about Antonio, because usually the gold ranger would be here by now. He was always enthusiastic about battles and being a ranger, so what changed? It was worrying, to say the least, but the team didn't seem to share Brooke's worry.

"More of them?" Kevin blurted, slight annoyance in his tone as he glanced at the small army of moogers.

"Dude, it's no big deal! They're just moogers." Mike stated confidently, pointing his spin sword at the moogers, and Jayden nodded.

"Then let's stop talking and start fighting," Jayden commanded, and Brooke grinned under her helmet as she spun her Wolf Kunai in her hand.

However, that grin fell when Antonio walked up. Brooke's first thought was that he looked _hungover_ , but that probably wasn't the case, so she pushed that thought out of her mind. He was disheveled, his hair messy, and his voice didn't have its usual enthusiasm when he spoke. _"Go Go Samurai: Gold Power,"_ Antonio called, his voice dull- and there was a certain level of anxiety to it as if he was _scared,_ and the fear became more present as the gold ranger suit appeared on his body. _"Barracuda Blade!"_ He drew the weapon, and was just still for a couple of moments, staring down at it. Then, he let out a scream, the gold ranger flinging his Barracuda Blade away from himself, and Brooke felt the big sister complex start to kick in.

"Antonio!" Brooke's voice was full of worry, and she sheathed her Wolf Kunai, her eyes flashing underneath her silver helmet. So he was scared of his _Barracuda Blade?_ That made little to no sense, but Brooke didn't invalidate it. She was just confused and worried.

"I- I can't do it," Antonio choked out, sinking to his knees. "I'm sorry guys- I just can't do it!" He repeated himself, his voice cracking, and he shook violently. His ranger suit disappeared in a flash of gold, and Brooke acted.

"Hey, Goldie, it's alright," Brooke walked over and kneeled in front of him. Antonio just looked at her- his face pale, and she saw herself in her bathroom mirror for a moment. He was having some sort of panic attack, and Brooke recalled the times when she had to talk Maxx down. "Focus on your breathing, these things pass, okay? You've got this, count if you need to," She soothed, and Amaris appeared in a flash of silver. _"Stay with him, please."_ Brooke thought, and Amaris instantly went over and nuzzled Antonio's cheek.

Antonio nodded weakly, burying a shaky hand in Amaris' fur. Brooke wanted to comfort him more, but she knew she had to focus on the battle at hand. So, she just took a deep breath, rising from where she was kneeled in front of Antonio and walking back to her usual spot. She said nothing as she stood next to Jayden again, drawing her katanas.

"Thanks," Jayden muttered so only Brooke could hear, and she nodded in response. "We have to deal with this first!" He commanded, and the six rangers launched into battle as the moogers rushed them.

Brooke just switched to her soldier mentality, cutting down moogers with ease. She impaled one in the chest, removing it quickly and spinning the katana in her hand, cutting down another. Performing a backwards handspring, she swept her let out, cutting multiple moogers down and landing by Jayden's side. They settled into the familiar routine, attacking together without saying a word to each other. Moogers fell with high pitched squeals, and soon the six rangers regrouped. Brooke swapped out her katanas for her Wolf Kunai, the six nodding at each other and spinning their zord disk.

_"Spin-Sword: Quintuple Slash!"_

_"Wolf Kunai: Full Pack!"_

The six attacks dealt with the remaining moogers, and Brooke wasted no time. Not bothering to see the moogers explode, she sheathed her kunai and demorphed, running over to Antonio and kneeling in front of him again. He looked like he was going through it, one hand in Amaris' fur, the white wolf sitting close to the gold ranger protectively.

"It's alright buddy!" Mike reassured Antonio as the team demorphed and ran over.

"Antonio, are you okay?" Mia questioned frantically, placing a comforting hand on his back.

"What's wrong?" Kevin wondered, and Brooke willed away her claws, offering Antonio a hand.

Antonio instantly took Brooke's with his shaky one, clutching it like a lifeline. "I'm sorry guys." He forced out, sounding on the verge of tears, and Brooke shared a concerned look with Jayden, who was standing with his arms crossed and worry shining in his eyes.

"Hey, Antonio? You don't have to answer, but," Brooke gingerly reached for the discarded Barracuda Blade, picking it up. "Does it have something to do with this?" She asked softly, and Antonio tightened his grip on her hand. Still, he nodded, a frantic look in his eyes.

"I can't touch my Barracuda Blade," Antonio spoke through clenched teeth, and the weapon in Brooke's hand disappeared in a flash of gold. "It- It reminds me of- of fish." He stammered, panic overtaking his voice yet again.

The rest of the rangers, sans Brooke, made noises of confusion. She just offered Antonio a gentle smile, rising to her feet and pulling him with her. "It's okay, we'll figure it out. Let's just go home, alright? I'm right here if you need me." She soothed, and glancing back at Jayden, mouthing "I've got this". He nodded in response, the silver and gold rangers walking back to the Shiba House, Amaris walking next to Antonio.

"She's like a big sister." Emily pointed out, and the five other rangers started walking as well.

"She always has been, for both of us," Jayden replied, watching Brooke and Antonio with a small frown. He wasn't even jealous- which was good, because his childhood friend was obviously in distress. Still, it caused questions to swirl in his brain. _He was scared of fish?_ It made little to no sense, and Jayden just let out a quiet sigh as he walked back to the Shiba House.

* * *

The seven made it back to the Shiba House, and while Jayden gave Ji a rundown on what happened, Brooke got Antonio a glass of water from the kitchen. As she grabbed a glass from the cupboard, she let out a heavy sigh. Not at Antonio- his fears, no matter how strange they are, were valid. But the fact that she _knew_ she would have to be the one to play therapist. Which wasn't bad, it was just kind of stressful. Brooke knew that she was the only mentally ill one in the house, and she knew how to deal with other's fear-induced anxiety. Her guess was the team didn't know what to do, because they were all mostly mentally stable, and didn't really deal with panic or anxiety attacks.

 _Thanks, James Wolfe,_ Brooke thought bitterly, filling the glass with water and then shutting off the tap. Truthfully, she saw herself and Maxx in Antonio, as she and her little brother had both been scared so bad that it triggered their anxiety to spike. So, she knew how to deal with it- as she used to calm Maxx down all of the time. Herself was a different story, but Brooke shoved those memories out of her head as she walked back into the meeting room.

Antonio was sitting on the steps that connected the meeting room to the indoor dojo, Amaris curled at his side. Brooke silently walked over and handed him the glass of water, sitting next to him and rubbing small circles into his back comfortingly. She also knew the team was going to probably invalidate his fears without really meaning to, and he was already radiating guilt and stress. Which made Brooke feel bad because she knew what this was like. It was not a fun experience, and she wouldn't wish it on anyone.

"Fish?" Ji blurted in disbelief as Jayden finished explaining what was going on. "But Antonio grew up in a fish shop, and he fishes every day. Now he's afraid of fish? You guys have got to be kidding me." He stated, and Jayden shook his head.

"This is no joke, Ji," Jayden replied, looking at his mentor and then back at Brooke and Antonio. The silver ranger was talking softly with the gold, presumably trying to calm him down. And it worked to a degree, as Antonio started shaking.

"Well, when that nighlok did switch our souls with objects, Antonio _did_ get turned into a fish," Kevin recalled, and Mia piped up, keeping the ball rolling.

"The neighborhood fish was _this_ close to eating him before he switched back. Now he isn't even able to touch fish." Mia added, eyeing Antonio worriedly.

He took a sip out of his glass of water, his free hand holding Brooke's. "I'm through. The golden age of Antonio is officially over." Antonio announced, raising his glass of water like a toast.

 _"The golden age of Antonio,"_ Kevin echoed, then shaking his head with a small sigh. "Look, you didn't get eaten, so pull yourself together." He stated, and Brooke cringed. _Here comes the train wreck._

"He's right, dude. C'mon, you taught yourself how to be a samurai! You can beat this." Mike reassured Antonio, and the guilt radiating off of the gold ranger increased while Brooke started to get mildly annoyed.

She didn't even know why- she knew the team was trying to help, but, in actuality, it was making things worse. Brooke just shot Jayden a frazzled sort of smile, which he responded with a quirked brow. The two launched into a silent conversation, Brooke mouthing "it's not helping", and he seemed to get the general message. He motioned to the exit, and she nodded.

"I'll be back, yell if you need me." Brooke stood, offering Antonio a gentle smile as he let go of her hand. He only responded with a nod, his eyes dull, and her eyes flashed. Still, she walked out of the meeting room, Jayden soon joining her.

The red and silver rangers stood in the hallway, where they could still listen to what was going on but talk in peace. Brooke leaned against the wall, running a clawed hand over her face. " _God damn_ , don't get me wrong, I care about them, but they're going about this the wrong way," She groaned, and Jayden just let her vent. "Since it's technically a trauma-based fear, it's not going to be as easy as "pulling yourself together". It doesn't really work like that- but they don't know that, so they're trying. Which is great, they care about Antonio, but it's making him feel more and more guilty, which is stressing him out even more. It's just- agh," She vented, her claws catching on her jeans, and she cursed under her breath as she yanked them out. "Sorry, I rambled, but, I hope you get the general message."

"It's okay-" Jayden started, but was cut off by Antonio.

"...I almost got eaten- _by a cat!"_ The two rangers heard Antonio exclaim, and Brooke shot an "I told you so" look at Jayden, who frowned.

"You predicted that one," Jayden remarked with raised eyebrows, and Brooke laughed bitterly, a frazzled smile on her face. "Thanks for comforting him. You're our best bet right now." He thanked, and Brooke waved a clawed hand in dismissal.

"It's all good. I've talked Maxx down enough times to know what and what not to do," Brooke responded, shaking her head with a small smile. "I've also been in situations where I've gotten my feelings just brushed aside like that as well, so, yeah. Sorry for dragging you out here, I just- don't know anymore, I guess." She apologized, running a clawed hand over her face with a sigh.

"You're fine, I didn't know what to do, so you're doing better than me," Jayden confessed, and Brooke snorted.

She pushed herself off the wall, then acted on impulse, wrapping Jayden into a tight hug. He made a noise of surprise but instantly returned the hug, burying a hand in Brooke's hair. "Thanks for listening. You're good at that sort of thing." Brooke thanked, her voice soft, and Jayden laughed faintly, brushing a strand of black hair out of Brooke's face.

"I'm glad I can help," Jayden replied, and the corners of Brooke's mouth twitched upward for a moment.

"Alrighty, I'm gonna go play therapist, and presumably undo whatever they ingrained into Antonio's head," Brooke stated, hooking her thumbs on the belt loops of her shorts.

Jayden had the urge to kiss her but pushed that aside as soon as it formed. "You've got this." He stated, and Brooke laughed weakly, the two walking back towards the meeting room.

"Let's hope, Red," Brooke responded, letting out a quiet sigh. She didn't blame Antonio at all for his fears- she just didn't know how to help with them other than calming him down. So, she did the best she could.

* * *

"Antonio, we won't let you quit," Emily stated, and Antonio still had a dull look in his eyes. Still, he nodded faintly. "We all have fears, and we're going to teach you how to beat them. It's called "aversion therapy". Look, Jayden's overcoming his fear of spiders." She pointed out, and Brooke sat on one of the seats next to Jayden, a knee drawn to her chest.

He was trying to mask his fear but was doing a very poor job of it. Brooke just watched, partly in concern and partly in amusement, grey-gold eyes transfixed on Jayden. It was easy to tell that he was stressed- and wanted _out,_ as his blue eyes flickered across the room, landing anywhere but the spider that sat on a small dish in Mia's hand. She set the spider on Jayden's arm, and he _flinched_ , his eyes widening as the spider crawled up his arm. Still, he drew in a shaky breath, trying to shoot Antonio a small smile. It came out looking more pained than anything, and Brooke could feel the stress radiating off of him. It was funny, in a way, as a master of war was scared of spiders. Still, she didn't judge him.

"Ye- yeah. I'm fine with them," Jayden choked out, trying to convince himself that it was fine. Which it wasn't- and Brooke's unwavering gaze made him embarrassed more than anything, and he felt the heat creeping towards the tips of his ears. Wow, he hated this. _Antonio, you really owe me one after this,_ Jayden thought bitterly, turning his attention away from the spider and to one of his childhood friends. "S- See? A samurai can overcome any fear!" His voice cracked, and he shot a glare at Brooke, who stifled quiet laughter with her hand.

"You're making this worse." Jayden hissed through clenched teeth as the spider crawled on his shoulder.

Brooke quirked a brow, grinning as her eyes flashed. "Oh? I can leave, then," She teased, and Jayden made a pained noise and shook his head. "That's what I thought." She muttered, barely audible, and Jayden seemed to be too stressed out to hear her. So, she turned her attention to Kevin, Mike, and Ji.

"Mike here hates enclosed spaces," Kevin announced, clapping Mike on the shoulder, and the green ranger shot the blue a wide-eyed look.

Kevin and Ji led Mike to a small storage closet- Brooke recalling the time when she and Jayden had to hide in there for Emily's surprise party. "Seriously? It looks a little cramped in there." Mike stated, looking at the closet and then Ji and Kevin with wide eyes.

"Come on, Mike." Ji urged, and he and Kevin forced Mike into the small closet.

"I- I don't know guys. I'm thinking this isn't such a good idea." Mike argued, stammering some as he stood in the closet. His face was pale and green eyes wide, and he looked at Kevin with an expression of betrayal.

"It's for Antonio." Ji defended, shutting the door.

Brooke heard Mike's faint cry of _"_ help" and her attention back to Jayden. Who looked like he was going through it, the spider halfway up his neck. So, she decided to help him a little bit. Using her finger, she gently nudged the spider down his neck, the spider changing course. Still, her fingertips brushed his neck, and Jayden surprisingly jumped at _that_ , Brooke's eyes flashing as she chewed on her bottom lip.

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you." Brooke apologized, and Jayden shook his head, his eyes still trained on the spider.

"N- No, it's fine," Jayden forced out, glancing at Brooke quickly and then the spider. "Thanks." He muttered, and she smiled faintly.

She made eye contact with Antonio and held up a thumbs up, him nodding ever so slightly. Brooke noticed that he had a ghost of a smile on his lips, and that made her happy. Amaris was still standing next to him, but soon the white wolf padded over to Jayden and Brooke. She didn't say anything, only hopping onto the seat that Brooke was sitting at, her petting Amaris with a small smile on her face as she watched her teammates face their fears. It was bizarre, yes- but strangely light-hearted, and it seemed like something you would do at a sleepover for fun.

"Watch this," Emily started, standing up from where she was crouched in front of Antonio. "Mia has her own fears to overcome," She declared, picking up a small silver platter from where it was sitting on the coffee table. She held the platter in front of Mia, taking off the lid. There sat a frog, it ribbiting and just vibing, and Mia's eyes instantly widened. "Frogs make Mia's skin crawl," Emily explained, and Mia tried to force an enthusiastic smile.

"Maybe if I'll kiss it, it'll turn into prince charming!" Mia exclaimed, trying to hype herself up, and Emily nodded, smiling.

"C'mon Mia, you can do it!" Emily cheered Mia on, who nodded hesitantly and pursed her lips.

She ended up kissing the frog, and Mia instantly made a noise of disgust, wiping her lips. Still, she flashed Antonio a forced smile. "See?" She asked, and Brooke's eyes flashed.

"How do you all know each other's fears anyways?" Brooke asked Jayden, and the spider was on the top of his head now, almost blending in with his light brown hair. His face was pale, blue eyes holding panic.

"T- Team bonding. W- we did it when all first started getting to know each other," Jayden answered, so desperately trying to ignore the spider on his head. It was hard, but he just focused on Brooke, whose grey eyes sparkled in amusement at the "team bonding" answer. "What's yours?" He forced out, and Brooke chewed on her bottom lip.

"I mean- James Wolfe," Brooke replied, and Jayden instantly shot her a look of concern mixed with sympathy. "But, for a _not_ trauma based one, I'm scared of horses." She confessed, pink rising to her cheeks.

Both Jayden and Emily instantly perked up at that, and Brooke's eyes flashed multiple times as she glanced at the two. "Looks like you're facing your fears today," Emily stated, taking the spider off Jayden's head.

He instantly let out a sigh of relief, then turned his attention to Brooke. Who had shifted, the brown wolf staring at him with fear in her gold eyes. "C'mon, it'll be only for a little bit," Jayden urged, and wolf-Brooke barked in response, her snout wrinkling back as her ears flattening to her head. _"Brooke._ Do it for Antonio, and I'll be right there." He pleaded, and the brown wolf glanced at the gold ranger then the red, letting out a whine. Still, after a couple of moments, and one last look at Antonio, wolf-Brooke hopped off of the seat.

Amaris stayed, violet eyes scanning the brown wolf. _"I'm right here if you need me, my dear."_ She vowed, and wolf-Brooke didn't respond, her ears flattened to her head and gold eyes shining with a mix of worry and fear.

Still, the brown wolf followed Jayden to the outdoor dojo. She said nothing, only sitting in her haunches and shooting him a look of betrayal. He responded with raised eyebrows, taking his samuraizer out of his pocket and flipping it open. He started drawing the symbol, and wolf-Brooke eyed it worriedly as it hung in the air. _"Symbol Power: Horse,"_ Jayden called, activating the symbol. In a flash of red, a white horse with a red bridle and saddle appeared. Wolf-Brooke looked at the horse, then Jayden worriedly, brown and white ears flattened to her head and fur bristled.

"It's not that bad, he's harmless," Jayden reassured the brown wolf, who somehow glared at him. "Brooke, I mean it. I won't let anything happen to you." He added, walking over and petting the horse's muzzle. Wolf-Brooke stood, and in a series of cracking noises, she shifted back, gold eyes eyeing the horse warily.

"Easy for you to say," Brooke grumbled, having a slight lisp due to her canines. Truth be told, she didn't even know why she was scared of horses, they just freaked her out. To her, their eyes were soulless, and it was unnerving. _Even if_ it was a horse made out of Jayden's symbol power- she didn't trust it.

"Trust me." Jayden urged, and Brooke shot him an exasperated look.

"I trust _you,_ Red. Not the horse," Brooke argued, and Jayden walked back over to her, grabbing her wrist. Her gold eyes instantly widened, and she shot him a look of betrayal. "Jayden, I swear to _god."_ She threatened as he pulled her in the direction of the horse.

However, hearing his name, he stopped in his tracks. "That's the first time in a while that you've used my real name," Jayden remarked with a small laugh, and Brooke huffed in annoyance, shooting him a glare.

"Well, you're not deserving of Red right now, so- Jayden, if we get any damn closer to this horse, I'm going to leave," Brooke cut herself off, digging her heels in the ground to prevent herself from being pulled by Jayden. He looked at her in amusement, and she quirked a brow at that. "What?" She questioned, and he laughed faintly.

"You're cute." Jayden blurted, and he didn't _mean_ to say that. But, it was out in the open now, so he just tried not to cringe at the words coming out of his mouth. He really hoped he didn't overstep boundaries with that one, and he was slightly worried because Brooke had frozen.

"Oh," Brooke breathed out, her face turning pink. Still, she soon regained her composure, breaking into a small grin. "If this is to get me to go closer to the horse- you gotta do better than that." She joked, and Jayden rolled his eyes playfully, also letting out a sigh of relief.

"It's not bad- I promise," Jayden vowed, and the want to take Brooke for a horseback ride flashed in his mind. Still, he didn't voice it, only offering her a small smile, which she returned with a glare. He responded with a quirked brow, and Brooke let out a sigh after a couple of moments.

"Fine, fine. Just for you." Brooke grumbled, taking a hesitant step towards the horse. She then reached out, her fingertips lightly brushing the horse's muzzle. The horse snorted in response to her actions, and Brooke instantly yelped, stepping back quickly.

Jayden laughed faintly, and Brooke's cheeks grew red at that. She averted her gold eyes from him, her lips curling around her canines as she spoke. "Shut up." Brooke challenged, and Jayden bit back his laughter.

"I'd never thought you would be-"

"Red, I will kick your ass." Brooke threatened, but Jayden knew that they were all empty. It was just false confidence, and he resisted the urge to wrap her in a hug. He wanted to, of course, but he knew Mike wouldn't leave him alone about it. Or the girls, because he saw both Emily and Mia discreetly spying on the two.

 _Christ,_ Jayden thought, returning his attention to Brooke. "Whatever you say, Brooke. Let's go back." He replied, the horse disappearing in a flash of red.

Brooke visibly relaxed, her eyes flashing multiple times before they settled on her traditional grey. Her fingernails and canines shrunk back to normal size. However, that only lasted for a small minute, as her samuraizer started beeping. She dug the device out of her pocket, flipping it open as she and Jayden ran back into the Shiba House.

Not long after, the gap sensor went off, Mike bursting out of the closet as the seven regrouped in the meeting room. "Edge of the city, the western woods," Brooke announced, and her eyes flashed as she glanced at Antonio. He could only offer her a weak smile, and that made her somewhat upset. Still, she knew she had to push that aside for right now.

"Let's go," Jayden commanded, and the six rangers sprinted out of the Shiba House, Brooke patting Antonio on the back comfortingly.

* * *

When Brooke reached the edge of the city, she shifted back into a human. It wasn't a nighlok, actually, it was two spitfangs. Which was strange, because Brooke figured that they were a "megamode only" sort of thing. But, that obviously wasn't the case, and something, other than the spitfangs, felt off. It activated her fight-or-flight, and she didn't know why, her claws and canines growing in as her eyes flashed. Her senses were reacting to something, but she didn't know _what._ And that was weird, because she's never had this type of reaction before. It was almost like her body sensed impending dread. The air was almost _buzzing_ with a strange sense of power, and Brooke made the mental note to stay on her toes.

"Spitfangs! It's time to shut your mouths!" Jayden challenged, and the spitfangs turned to the six rangers, who were lined up in their usual line.

The six drew their respective symbols quickly and morphed into their ranger suits, but Brooke didn't draw her katanas. Instead, she pulled her samuraizer out of the pouch on her belt. "Guys, something isn't right!" She called, worry filling her tone, and the five others instantly stopped running forward _._ The amount of power buzzing in the air increased, and Brooke flipped open her samuraizer and activated the brush portion. The sense of dread worsened, and she quickly started drawing the protection symbol. _"Protection!"_ She yelled, activating the symbol, and it formed a translucent silver bubble around the six.

Just in time, as lightning came rushing down towards the six. Luckily, the shield blocked it, and the lightning ricocheted off of the shield and hit the spitfangs, causing them to explode. The air crackled with electricity, and Brooke let the shield dissolve, but she was still on guard. Her body was tense as she shut her samuraizer and put it in the pouch on her belt, drawing her katanas.

"What was that?" Mia wondered, and the team took a moment to regain their bearings.

"A sneak attack! They even took out their own guys!" Mike replied, and Brooke tightened her grip on her katanas.

 _Something wasn't right._ This wasn't normal, and Brooke's thoughts were confirmed as she heard laughter. It came from the sky, and she snapped her head up to see a nighlok descending through the air. She subconsciously let out a low growl, her eyes a blazing gold and canines full bared underneath her helmet. The power radiating from the nighlok also made Brooke's senses go haywire, and her heart rate increased, her heart pounding in her chest. It wasn't anxiety, it was something _else,_ but she tried to ignore it as the nighlok floated down.

"So, you're the current samurai power rangers. How _illuminating,"_ The nighlok greeted, and the six rangers tensed, settling into fighting stances. "Allow me to introduce myself- I am Serrator, the newest passenger on Master Xandred's ship. The last time I walked this pitiful realm, I had the honor of killing the silver ranger, your mother, correct?" Serrator introduced himself, directing the question towards Brooke, who instantly froze.

"Huh?" Brooke squeaked, almost losing her grip on her katanas. She thought the others held dealt with the nighlok that Jane had used to kill herself, as a form of revenge or something. But that wasn't the case, as Serrator was standing in front of Brooke, and she had a feeling that he wasn't lying.

"Brooke?" Mia called worriedly to Brooke, who snapped out of her thoughts and tightened her grip on her swords again.

"The Nighlok King," Brooke muttered, and she didn't know how to feel. It was a mixture of rage, fear, and her senses just going haywire, and it wasn't a good experience. Black spots decorated her vision for a moment- and she realized she was already wolfing out and the battle hadn't even begun. _This wasn't going to be fun._

Serrator chuckled, pointing a finger at the silver ranger. "Right you are! I must say, you're already putting up a much better fight than your mother!" He congratulated, but it was so incredibly _mocking_ that Brooke's temper flared.

 _I'm not her. I'm not going to end up like her,_ Brooke thought, repeating the mantra in her mind. She clutched her katanas so tightly it hurt, the pain helping ground her. God, she wished she was back trying to face the horse. That was so much easier than this.

Meanwhile, the rest of the team was confused and slightly worried. "Brooke- is he for real?" Mike asked, looking at Serrator, and then the silver ranger.

"Yeah- yeah. The Nighlok King, the one my mom made a deal with to kill her. The one who strengthened the symbol power so I can't get my memories back. He's- he's right." Brooke choked out, and Jayden lightly knocked her shoulder with his own.

"Calm down, I'm right here if you need me. I'll be right by your side." Jayden reassured Brooke, who almost didn't even hear it past her heartbeat pounding in her ears. Still, she tried to calm herself down, releasing some of the tension in her shoulders and loosening her grip on her katanas.

"Now, shall we test how strong you really are?" Serrator challenged, and Brooke and Jayden shared a discreet nod. It was just a nighlok, no matter how strong, and Brooke reminded herself that. The team always came out victorious in the end.

"This is no ordinary bad guy." Kevin pointed out the obvious, and Jayden nodded.

"Everyone, be at the top of your game!" Jayden advised, readying his spin-sword.

"Test time!" Serrator announced, and his fingers turned into _claws._ Which was somewhat concerning, but what was even more concerning is when they shot out.

Brooke rolled under them and Jayden leapt over them, the red ranger trying to land a downwards strike on Serrator. The nighlok just caught his spin-sword in between two of his claws. However, before he could slash at Jayden, Brooke blocked the swing with a katana, gritting her teeth as her arms wavered from the kickback. Still, the two tried their best, settling into their usual routine, and it was working. Not well, but it was working, and the red and silver rangers moved in silent harmony. Brooke had even shifted, the brown wolf bouncing at Jayden's side as they both attacked Serrator. And that was going fine until the nighlok started _talking._

"I must say, I'm impressed," Serrator congratulated, and wolf-Brooke bared her canines as she and Jayden regrouped. "It's been a long time since I've had a good fight! You're so much different than your mother, silver ranger," He stated as the brown wolf lunged, and Serrator easily dodged it. "But you're still going to fall!" Serrator landed a hard swipe with a clawed hand on wolf-Brooke's side, and the force sent her flying to the ground with a yelp.

"Brooke!" Jayden called, and he didn't even mean to. His brain just went on autopilot as the brown wolf tried to pick herself up off the ground. He could see the blood starting to stain her brown and white fur crimson, and his worry and fear turned into adrenaline.

Brooke shifted back, ignoring the stinging in her side. She unsheathed one of her katanas and stuck it in the topsoil, planning to use it as a crutch to help her to her feet. However, it was all for naught, as Jayden was sent barreling into her thanks to Serrator sending him flying. The silver and red rangers crashed to the ground, their helmets _thunking_ together. That caused the whole world to go fuzzy for a moment, and Brooke let out a groan, blinking rapidly and trying to regain her bearings. Her side felt _wet_ \- which wasn't a good sign at all, but she tried to ignore it as she pushed herself to her feet.

"How're holdin' up?" Brooke mumbled as she made her way over to her katana that was embedded in the dirt. She pulled the sword out of the ground, wincing at the feeling of blood dripping down her side. Wow, that _really_ wasn't good.

"Could be better," Jayden confessed, and the two ran into battle again when the four other rangers got flung aside.

Jayden leapt upwards and tried to perform a downwards strike, but Serrator surprisingly _teleported._ "Missing someone-" He started, but was cut off by Brooke's yell.

"Right fuckin' here!" Her katana made contact with Serrator's shoulder, and a large number of sparks flew from where the blade made contact. Pooling her strength into her legs, Brooke managed to kick Serrator back with a growl.

The four other rangers instantly stood in front of the pair, sliding their zord disks onto their spin-swords. "Everyone! Attack him all at once!" Kevin commanded, and the three others nodded in agreement. They spun their zord disks, the blades of their spin-swords lighting up their respective colors.

_"Spin-Sword: Quadruple Slash!"_

The four slashed with their spin-swords, sending the four attacks hurtling towards Serrator. Who was rather nonchalant about the whole thing, and, with a swing of his staff, the quadruple slash was deflected. Pointing his staff at the six, he retaliated by shooting lighting at the team. Four of the six rangers got hit, the silver and red rushing forward. Brooke had changed out her katanas for her Wolf Kunai, and Jayden's spin-sword had turned into his Fire Smasher.

Jayden swung at Serrator with his Fire Smasher, which left a trail of fire in its wake, and Brooke dodged that to the best of her abilities. She also dodged Serrator's swings at her and noticed that the nighlok had a main focus on her rather than Jayden. Which made sense- but she didn't like it, as she was starting to feel nauseous, but she didn't tell Jayden that. It would probably just make him stressed, and that's the last thing Brooke wanted to do.

Speaking of, the silver ranger stood next to the red as he swung his Fire Smasher over his head. As the weapon went into its Cannon Blast Mode, Brooke slid the moon disk on her Wolf Kunai. She stuck the wolf disk into the cannon next to the lion disk, then spinning the moon disk. The blade of the kunai lit up purple, and neither Brooke nor Jayden said a word as they fired off their attacks. They planned to at least _damage_ Serrator, but that wasn't the case. The nighlok managed to _catch_ the two attacks, and Brooke felt her eyes widen underneath her helmet.

"No way." Jayden blurted, and even _he_ seemed to be taken aback, his voice having a hint of fear to it.

"Brace yourself," Brooke advised, pulling out her samuraizer once again, flipping it open and activating the brush portion. She felt Amaris' presence in the back of her mind, and she took a deep breath, steeling her nerves. _"Can you make a shield without being here? I don't want you getting hurt."_ She thought, directing the question to Amaris.

 _"I am able to,"_ Amaris confirmed, and Brooke felt a twinge of relief at that. So they'll have two shields. That's reassuring, at least.

"This is quite an exhilarating workout- just extraordinary!" Serrator commented as the two attacks became a large ball of energy in his hands. The ball of energy turned blue, and Brooke started drawing the protection symbol. "Now, watch a real display of power!" The nighlok announced, sending the blue ball of energy hurtling towards the two rangers.

Brooke wasted no time, activating the protection symbol, and Amaris also summoned a shield. The purple and silver translucent walls intercepted the attack, Brooke gritting her teeth as they both cracked. She turned her attention to Jayden, ignoring the feeling of blood coating her side. "Red, try hitting it. Not back at him, but somewhere else." She choked out, and Jayden nodded.

He ran forward, and with a yell, he swung his Fire Smasher like a baseball bat. The weapon made contact with the ball of energy, and the amount of force Jayden swung with sent it hurtling into the sky. It exploded there, and Brooke let the two shields dissolve, shaking out the tension from her muscles and sticking her samuraizer back in its usual pouch. She drew her Wolf Kunai, walking forward to stand at Jayden's side.

"Thanks for doin' that." Brooke thanked, and Jayden picked up on the way her words slurred together somewhat.

"Stick by me, okay?" Jayden urged, and Brooke just nodded, the silver and red rangers then staring down Serrator.

"How unexpected," Serrator chuckled, and Jayden's Fire Smasher turned back into his spin-sword in a flash of red. He and Brooke tightened their grips on their weapons, settling into fighting stances. "I imagined you to be weaker than this." He directed that statement at Brooke, who narrowed her eyes.

"Don't underestimate me," Brooke growled in response, digging her silver boots into the dirt. Oh, she felt _horrible._ Her head pounded and her side stung, and the nausea was getting worse by the second, but she pushed that aside to the best of her abilities. Swallowing down her bile, she reminded herself that she had Jayden by her side. And that was good- that was always good. Also, Amaris hadn't appeared yet, so that meant she wasn't in peril. _Yet._

Serrator chuckled, clapping his hands together once. "Aha! Let's see how you fare to a bigger challenge!" He announced, a piece of paper appearing in his hand. He started cutting the paper using his clawed hands, pieces of it falling to the ground as the team regrouped and regained their bearings. "In a few moments, we'll see if you're really cut out for this. _Papyrox!"_ Now finished cutting the paper, Serrator threw it in the air, and it turned into a nighlok. It almost looked like a paper snowflake and had a black cape. "My creation obeys my thoughts- follows my every command. He cuts, and he destroys!" Serrator announced, sounding rather proud of himself. "Consider this your new test! You pass, or you fail!"

Brooke didn't even have time to _react_ before Papyrox fired a blast that sent her and the rest of the team flying. Her ears rang when she made contact with the ground, and she instantly let out a noise of pain as her head slammed into the back of her helmet. Everything went fuzzy, the nausea she felt increasing, and, to her surprise, her ranger suit _flickered._ For a moment, Brooke was back in her street clothes, but the silver ranger suit appeared back onto her body before anybody could notice. So, she forced herself to her feet and felt the stomach acid burn her throat, but she swallowed it down. This was her job- and she could still fight. _She had to fight._ Even if she felt horrible and half-dead.

Jayden was at her side, black box in hand. "If this guy wants to give us a bigger challenge, we'll give him one right back. _Super Samurai Mode!"_ The Shiba crest appeared and then turned into the forked cape, but he still sounded like he was choking out the words. "You guys handle Serrator, I'll take on this overgrown snowflake," He commanded, and the team, sans Brooke, responded. Jayden noticed this and grabbed her gloved hand with his own, the white and black gloves contrasting each other. "Please stay safe." He murmured and gave Brooke's hand a comforting squeeze. Which she responded with her own weak one.

"I'm tryin' Red. Don't get your ass kicked too bad." Brooke mumbled, her words slurring together slightly. She just wanted Jayden to hold her hand and not let go- but she knew she had to fight. Her entire body screamed in protest- but Brooke dropped his hand and drew her Wolf Kunai.

"I'll try," Jayden promised, putting the super samurai disk in the black box and shutting it. _"Airstrike Combination!"_ He called, and the Battlewing Megazord formed.

While the megazord fought against Papyrox, the five other rangers readied their blades, settling into fighting stances. Serrator seemed rather overjoyed at that, as he let out a laugh. "What's this? You want to continue _playing?_ How splendid! I don't know about you, but I'm having a ball!" He declared, holding out his hand. A small blue ball of energy formed, but that energy then turned into a _ball_ \- Serrator kicking it up in the air. "Time for your penalty kick!" He sent the ball hurtling towards the five, and Brooke heard her bones make the familiar cracking sounds.

It was a ball- and she was a feral dog. Dropping her Wolf Kunai on the ground, Brooke shifted. The brown wolf ran forward and intercepted the ball with a lunge, sending it hurtling in a different direction. It hit the ground and blew up a couple of feet away from the rangers and the wolf, wolf-Brooke landing on all four paws and snarling at Serrator. She struck a defensive stance in front of the four, her fur bristling- and the team saw the crimson staining some of it. Her stained fur was clumping together, and they could see the three slashes made by Serrator's claws.

" _Shit-_ She can't fight like that. You think Jayden knows?" Mike muttered, and Emily shook her head.

"Probably not, because he would be at her side otherwise. It looks bad," Emily replied, her voice barely above a whisper. "Hey, Brooke! Come over here!" She called, and they were all grateful that Serrator was presumably coming up with another plan.

The brown wolf padded over, and Mia crouched down so that she was eye-level with wolf-Brooke. "You can't fight like that- that's a nasty wound." She stated softly, and in a series of cracking noises, Brooke shifted back.

"I have to," Brooke declared, swallowing down more bile as she went to go pick up her Wolf Kunai. She bent down to pick up the weapon and her stomach lurched, and she _so badly_ wanted to throw up. But she couldn't, for two reasons. One, because she was in a battle. Two, because of the helmet. "It's all I can really do at the moment." She muttered and then turned her attention to the _samurai_ megazord.

Jayden had presumably lost the zords, and the samurai megazord's helmet was knocked off. It was laying on the ground, and Papyrox was stomping on it- sparks flying whenever its foot came in contact with the megazord. Noticing this, Brooke let out a heavy sigh- Jayden was getting his ass kicked, per usual. And she had to save him. "Y'know what, good luck. I'm gonna help Red," She declared, pulling her wolf zord out of the pouch on her belt. Brooke threw the parallelogram in the air, drawing the symbol. _"Wolf Folding Zord: Megamode Power!"_ She choked out, her suit changing into her megamode suit.

In all honesty, Brooke was somewhat grateful for this turn of events. She didn't have to worry about Serrator blowing her up, and that caused a sense of relief to wash over her. Folding up her megablade and sticking it into the control panel, she instantly pushed it forward. The wolf zord ran forward and lunged at Papyrox, knocking it off the samurai megazord. _"Howl!"_ Brooke commanded, and let out a groan as the "low on symbol power" headache formed. "You- you owe me for this, Red." She forced out, and to say Jayden was worried was an understatement.

Though this was far _less_ dangerous than fighting Serrator, so Jayden couldn't get too worried. "Let me know if something feels off- okay? Don't work yourself too hard." He urged and heard Brooke's slurred laugh through the comms.

"Red- we've- we've been feelin' off since the battle began. I'm not exactly… doin' great," Brooke retorted and turned her attention to the others on the ground. They were knocked down, but she instantly felt her spirits lighten when she saw Antonio's gold suit reflect in the light. "Goldie!" She cheered.

"Great job, Antonio!" Jayden praised, the samurai megazord picking itself off of the ground. It stood next to the wolf zord- and he made a noise of surprise when it powered off. "Brooke?" He called worriedly, almost screaming when he didn't get a response right away. His nightmares played in his head, and Jayden bit back his concern.

"Sorry!" Brooke tried to act chipper as her megamode suit disappeared in a flash of silver, and the wolf zord powered back on. However, she knew it couldn't go anywhere.

She knew she was fucked when Amaris appeared. The white wolf was flickering and almost transparent, violet eyes shining with _fear._ Brooke sat on the ground, leaning against the control panel, and she spared a glance at her side. From where Serrator had landed a blow against her in her wolf form there were three large claw marks, spaced a couple of inches apart from each other. They started below her ribs and ended before the waistband on her jeans, and the only thing Brooke was grateful for was that they weren't on the side her tattoo was on. Other than that, it was agony. She knew she needed help, and _soon_ before she lost consciousness and bled out in her zord.

 _Like mother, like daughter,_ Brooke thought bitterly, trying to shove her panic aside. The side of the crew neck sweatshirt she was wearing was shredded, starting to get stained with blood, and she peeled it off. It stuck to her skin somewhat, but she pulled it over her head, and the tank-top she wore underneath wasn't in much better shape. The grey fabric was stained crimson, and Brooke gagged when she saw it. The smell of blood was suffocating, but she just balled up her sweatshirt and pressed it against her side, applying pressure to the area and trying to stop the bleeding. Amaris was sitting next to her- and the state Brooke was in didn't give her enough strength to speak, so she just let out a whine.

She didn't know _how_ the battle was going, but she wasn't getting attacked, so that was good. It seemed to be going well because she could hear Jayden talking- and he seemed to be fine. "Red- Jayden!" Brooke choked out, forcing herself to speak loud enough so that he could hear her through the comms.

"Yeah? Everything alright?" Jayden asked, and Brooke nearly cried.

"No. Amaris is here- and I, uh. Just come here." Brooke urged weakly, and Jayden quickly appeared in the cockpit of the wolf zord in a flash of red.

He couldn't even find the words to speak, his voice getting caught in his throat. Jayden felt his eyes widen and his face paled, and he dropped his megablade on the ground, instantly demorphing. Which he didn't even know was _possible_ until now, but shoved that thought aside. Brooke was _crying_ , silent tears falling down her cheeks as she let out a choked noise that sounded something like "help". It caused Jayden to snap out of his panic, instantly rushing over and crouching next to her. His hands were shaking and tried willing them to stop as he placed them on top of Brooke's bloody ones.

"Here- here. I've got it," Jayden whispered, and the fear he felt seeped into his tone. Forget the spider- _this_ was terrifying. Still, he tried to shove it aside, and he was incredibly grateful that he was somewhat functional under panic. "We need to get out of megamode, and Mia probably knows how to deal with this better than we can." He thought aloud, and Brooke nodded.

She removed her hand from her side, and Amaris disappeared, the moon disk appearing in Brooke's hand in a flurry of silver particles. She said nothing, only forcing it in Jayden's direction, and they both tried to ignore the blood that was now coating part of the purple disk. He instantly took it, the disk disappearing in red particles and Amaris reappearing. She was solid now, her ears flattened to her head.

"Hey, Jayden! Brooke! What's the holdup?" Jayden heard Mike ask, and the red ranger grit his teeth at the green's teasing tone.

Still, Jayden didn't answer, only picking Brooke up bridal style. And, with a nod to Amaris, the two appeared on the ground in a flash of silver, the zords disappearing in flashes of the rangers' respective colors. The five others stood there in shock for a moment, until Mia instantly rushed over, as the pink ranger had some medical expertise.

"Here- can you set her on the ground?" Mia asked, her voice surprisingly calm, and Jayden nodded and obliged. She crouched next to Brooke, pressing on the sweatshirt much harder than Jayden did, and Brooke let out a hiss of pain at that. "Brooke, can you talk?" She questioned, and Brooke nodded.

"I'm about to throw up… or cry. I dunno yet," Brooke answered, trying to keep her body somewhat calm. Because she knew if she panicked, it would make it worse. "It hurts." She confessed, squeezing her eyes shut. Tears rolled down her cheeks, and she felt Jayden's hand rub small circles in her back.

"Do you think Amaris could take us back?" Mia wondered aloud, and Amaris' tail flicked. One of Brooke's hands was buried in her fur- streaking the white floor crimson.

 _"I am able to- only three of you, however. My apologies."_ Amaris apologized, and Emily shook her head, her usual cheerful smile on her face. However, they could all see it was forced.

"It's alright- Mia and Jayden can go with Brooke," Emily replied, and Jayden and Mia nodded.

Jayden picked up Brooke again- who was silent for the most part. She only let out a quiet whimper every now and then. Her stomach lurched, and she just resisted the urge to throw up, because she didn't want to throw up on Jayden. So, she just squeezed her eyes shut and prayed, the three disappearing in a flash of silver.

* * *

The three appeared in the Shiba House, and once Jayden set her down, Brooke instantly sprinted to her bathroom. She threw up, trying to ignore the feeling of her side gushing blood at her every movement, the stomach acid burning at her throat. Tears were rolling down her cheeks as she finished throwing up, flushing the toilet and letting out a choked sob. Brooke didn't even know _why_ she was crying, as there was a list at this point. The pain was the first one, and it was mixing with the sheer panic, which caused her emotions to spin out of control. This wasn't _good_ by any means, panicking only made things worse in this situation, and her increased heart rate didn't help to stop the bleeding. She was a mess at this point, and she knew it, so Brooke was surprised to make out Jayden in her blurry vision.

"I'm sorry," Brooke choked out as Jayden pushed some of her hair away from her face. "I'm sorry." She repeated herself, basically sobbing at this point, and he frowned.

"It's alright, it's not your fault. C'mere," Jayden reassured Brooke, and she instantly accepted the hug he offered her. They just sat on the bathroom floor for a moment, and Brooke realized that she was getting both blood and tears on Jayden's overcoat, but he didn't seem to care. "We'll get you cleaned up, and everything will be okay." He promised, and it was for himself and Brooke. He tried to not show the fear he felt, but he could only do so much. Still, Jayden held Brooke as she shook, gripping her like a lifeline.

Eventually, Brooke calmed herself down enough so that she could get her thoughts in order. Jayden was still holding her, even after ten minutes, and she could feel him playing with her hair, twirling a piece of hair around his finger. It was nice, but she felt the dizziness and nausea start to kick in- partly from the blood loss and partly from dehydration. She knew she had to do something about that, so Brooke released her hold on Jayden. He instantly perked up at that, blue eyes shining with worry as he scanned Brooke's face.

"I- I'm gonna take a shower. I need to deal with this," Brooke explained, motioning to the three gashes on her side. They had stopped bleeding, luckily, but her tank-top was still sticking uncomfortably to her skin, and the smell of blood caused her to gag slightly. "Thank you, Red. I- I… mean it." She mumbled, and Jayden smiled faintly.

"Of course. Yell for me or Mia if you need anything." Jayden urged, and Brooke nodded weakly, her face pale.

It took some struggle, but they both rose to their feet, Brooke instantly grabbing the bathroom counter for balance. Since her brain had emotionally tapped out, her wolf features didn't even show. So, everything was _normal,_ her fingernails scratching at the tile counter. Still, she offered Jayden a weak smile, which he returned. They were both forced, but they both tried to pretend like everything was fine.

After she heard the door to her bedroom shut, Brooke stumbled over to her dresser. Which caused a new wave of dizziness to surface, and she took a moment to regain her bearings before rummaging through her drawers to find clothes to wear. Settling on a sports bra and running shorts- as she knew any shirt she put on would probably get ruined, she sat on her bed, untying her military boots. Brooke kicked them off with a little _too much_ force, as one shoe hit the wall with a dull _thump,_ but it was all fine. Setting her clothes on the bathroom counter, she mentally prepared for the pain that was going to be water hitting her side.

And she was right. Brooke had to bite into a washcloth to prevent herself from screaming out as water ran down her side, and spots decorated her vision. She prayed that she didn't pass out in the shower, just taking extra caution as she took a shower. The washcloth in her mouth was making her gag, but Brooke suffered through it, watching the blood, water, and soap flow down the drain. Twenty minutes of agony later, she stepped out of the shower, getting dressed quickly and rummaging under her bathroom sink. Finding the first aid kit that she brought with her, Brooke let out a heavy sigh and eyed the gauze and hydrogen peroxide warily. She knew she probably should ask Mia or Jayden for help- but she didn't want to walk to the med bay looking like _this,_ so she didn't.

Meanwhile, Jayden shrugged off his overcoat, glancing down at the blood staining the grey fabric. Flinging the overcoat in his room, he ran a hand through his hair, letting out a heavy sigh as he walked into the meeting room. The others were seated there, Amaris in Brooke's usual spot, and six pairs of eyes snapped towards him.

"Is Brooke okay?" Emily asked hesitantly, voicing the five other's silent questions.

Jayden offered a weak nod as he sat down next to Amaris, the white wolf instantly nuzzling his cheek. Which he was grateful for- and he buried a hand in her fur, ignoring the dried blood that was coating it. "Yeah- she's just shaken up." He answered, and Mia frowned.

"Didn't she say something about her Mom bleeding to death- and it being from Serrator?" Mia wondered aloud, and Jayden just focused on Amaris for the time being.

"It was obvious that Serrator had it out for her," Kevin remarked, and a weak voice piped up.

Brooke leaned against a wall for support, her face pale. Her hair was wet, some of the black strands framing her face, and Jayden's flannel was messily buttoned up- the middle buttons only being buttoned, pretty much. "He's prolly on a power-trip from my mom, as killing a ranger that easily probably fueled his ego to the extremes. Taking that into consideration, he's trying to take me out as the icing on the cake. Jane and Brooke Wolfe, two generations of silver rangers, killed by one nighlok. Xandred probably has the same bloodlust for Red, given ranger history. It's obvious why they both would pick favorites." She explained, and Amaris hopped off of the seat and padded to her side, nuzzling her legs.

 _"Get some rest, my dear. This conversation can happen later."_ Amaris advised, and Brooke nodded, bending down to pet the wolf. However, she instantly regretted that action, grimacing as she stood upright again.

"I dealt with it, don't worry. I have wound care stuff from when I lived with James," Brooke responded to the team's silent questioning, then turning her attention to Mia. "That leads the question- painkillers. Can I have any? I don't know if I can have those, though." She questioned, and Mia stood, walking over to Brooke.

"Have you eaten?" Mia questioned, and Brooke nodded, the pink and silver rangers walking out of the meeting room.

"Yeah- I did. I'm not bullshitting you, I have a stash of stuff," Brooke answered, and when Mia raised her eyebrows, she smiled weakly. "I usually have a bag of necessities, food, water, clothes, and like, bus fare, always packed. It was from when I lived with James, so I could get out tough situations fast with all the stuff I needed. I don't need it now, but I still have it to stop some sort of weird sort of paranoia that I feel when I don't have it." She explained, and Mia nodded as they walked into the med bay.

Mia pulled out a bottle of pills from a cabinet, reading the label and then handing it to Brooke, who took it gingerly. "I know being a shifter messes with your body, so you know better than me. Just don't overdo it," Mia urged, and Brooke nodded. "Get some rest, you deserve it." She added, and the silver ranger smiled weakly at the pink.

"Will do. Thanks." Brooke thanked, and the two then went their separate ways.

Making her way back to her room, Brooke stifled a yawn with her hand, her mind on autopilot. She just wanted to sleep, and she was pleasantly surprised to see Jayden walking down the hallway, Amaris padding next to him. "Heya, Red. Good timing," She greeted, stopping in front of him, and he quirked a brow. "I was just about to head to bed, and I wanted you to stay with me if that was alright? You don't have to stay for long, or at all if you don't want to, so don't think I'm forcing you to." Brooke added, and Jayden's faint smile answered that question before he spoke.

"Yeah, I'll stay with you." Jayden agreed, and Brooke let out a quiet cheer as she pushed open her door and flicked on the light, Amaris the first one in the room. He shut the door behind them both, untying his shoes while she kicked off her vans. Jayden then realized he was going to have to take a nap in jeans, which, at this point, he was too tired to care. The exhaustion was starting to kick in, and seeing Brooke walking around, mostly fine, caused an adrenaline dump.

Still, Brooke noticed his jeans and raised an eyebrow, popping two painkillers in her mouth and downing them with water. "Don't tell me you're planning on wearing those to sleep." She remarked, and Jayden shrugged in response. Rolling her eyes, Brooke opened her dresser, wordlessly pulling out a pair of black sweatpants and flinging them at him. He caught them and quirked a brow.

"Brooke, I don't know if you're _that_ out of it- but if these are yours, they most definitely won't fit," Jayden commented, and Brooke laughed faintly as she shut her dresser.

"They're Casper's, and he's taller than you," Brooke retorted, setting the painkillers on her nightstand and sitting on the bed. "Red- don't give me that look. I accidentally ended up with some of his clothes when I was moving from James' to his place, and then his place to Mary's. I didn't mean for it to happen," She added, waving her hand nonchalantly at Jayden's conflicted expression. "He'd probably find it funny that you're wearing his stuff- so, it's fine. It's not like Casper needs to know anyways. He hasn't really noticed it was missing."

The irrational jealousy _did not like_ the fact that Brooke wore some other person's clothes other than his, but Jayden realized that was a petty thing and let out a quiet sigh. It was better than jeans, and he nodded. "Thanks." He muttered, and Brooke flashes him a thumbs-up as she fell backwards on the bed.

"I'm not cuddling you if you wear jeans in my bed, sorry," Brooke teased, and Jayden rolled his eyes, walking over and looking at her. She had unbuttoned his flannel fully, revealing her gauze wrapped torso, and most of her tattoo was covered by the bandaging. Brooke also noticed the way that Jayden was somewhat staring at her. "What? Is something wrong?" She questioned, her cheeks heating up and her voice rising in pitch ever so slightly.

"Your tattoo is pretty," Jayden murmured, reaching out and tracing the outline of the top of one of the azaleas. His fingertips barely ghosted her skin, but he still felt as Brooke broke out in goosebumps. "Sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." He apologized quickly, dropping his hand, and Brooke shook her head.

"No, no. It's all good, I'm touch-starved- so physical affection is nice," Brooke mumbled the last part, her cheeks dusted pink as she averted her gaze from Jayden. "Just… get changed and come lay down with me. Please." She murmured, and Jayden nodded, breaking into a small grin.

* * *

The pair laid in Brooke's bed, Amaris curled at their feet. Jayden's fingertips brushed Brooke's skin, and she enjoyed the way that it felt. It was warm, and Brooke realized she was trying to steal his body heat, pressed close to his side, and her face buried into the crook of his neck. Not that Jayden minded, it was reassuring having her this close. It almost made him forget that today ever happened, and he felt some of the tension leave his body.

"You're cold." Jayden pointed out, and Brooke raised her head, squinting at him.

"Blood loss, my dear Red. Trust me, you're like a heater right now," Brooke replied groggily, setting her head down. "That's what makes you even better- 'cause I'm not cold. And you like, actually, hold me instead of just laying there. I swear- you treat me better than some of the guys I've dated and we're not even together. Like, get you someone who's a leader of a team of power rangers and an overall good guy- and boom, maybe life isn't so bad. I may be fighting a war and had to undergo blood experimentation to be a soldier in said war, but I got you holding me."

She was rambling, and Jayden didn't even know if Brooke knew what she was talking about. Her voice was muffled by the crook of his neck, and he didn't mind it. It made him flustered, yes, and Jayden _knew_ that his face was the color of his ranger suit at this point, but hearing Brooke talk about him with adoration made him happy. His heartbeat was pounding in his ears, but he felt the stupid giddy smile that was growing on his face. He realized that there was no going back now- he was in far too deep. Not that Jayden wanted to get out of it anytime soon. It was probably the pain meds, because he had never heard Brooke be so openly gushy about someone before, and he just let her keep talking. It boosted his ego, to an extent.

"Brooke?" Jayden called quietly, and Brooke hummed in response. "How're you feeling?" He asked, and Brooke raised her head again, wearing a lopsided and tired smile.

"Good, for the most part. Not in pain anymore and I have you here. So, all is well." Brooke declared, her words slurring together as she reached out and cradling Jayden's face in his hand. She seemed to lose all train of thought for a moment, then leaned forward. Her lips brushed his for a moment, and Jayden froze as Brooke kissed him quickly, barely there.

Taking the way her grey eyes were glossed over and unfocused, Jayden concluded that she was not thinking straight. So, he shoved aside all of those feelings, wearing a gentle smile and ignoring the pounding of his heart and the way his face burned. "Get some rest, Brooke. I'll be right here when you wake up." He promised, the stutter in his voice evident, but Brooke didn't seem to mind. She just buried her face into the crook of his neck again, her hand dropping from his face onto his chest.

Jayden just stared at the ceiling for a moment, cycling through his thoughts. Did that count as consent? Probably not, and he didn't want to push his luck, so he just pretended like that never happened. It was like the dream world all over again, and he smiled weakly as Brooke fell asleep quickly. She worried him- more than Jayden would like to admit. But it was times like these where he was generally happy with his life like he finally caught his lucky break that usually lasted seven hours at most. Should he be this happy about a kiss that happened because his childhood crush is on pain meds? Probably not, but he realized that there was no going back now. And he didn't want to go back.


	25. the shark and the wolf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Both Brooke and Jayden have some awkward encounters and Antonio and Ji go missing. So, in reality- it's a typical day for the samurai rangers.

Brooke woke up with a yell, instantly bolting upright. Her side instantly stung at that action, and her chest heaved. She felt sweaty as her eyes snapped around the room, and she felt as her claws grew in and upper lip curled around her canines. Her senses started to kick in, and she felt Jayden sitting beside her, him instantly waking up due to her yell. The warmth of his body helped her calm down some, and one of his arms was wrapped around her waist, his other hand was gently stroking her hair. It was calming, and Brooke felt her panic disperse at the feeling of being held by him and having Amaris curled at her feet. It was much better than the bloody battlefield than her nightmare depicted.

She still smelt the blood and the smoke, and Brooke saw Jayden's collapsed figure when she closed her eyes. Serrator had been hovering over him, and she was _useless,_ silver chains wrapped around her arms and legs. They had burned her skin- but the pain was secondary as she watched Serrators staff swing down and collide with Jayden's neck. Her scream had died in her throat, and she had watched him die. She had watched him bleed out, and he had just shot her a small smile. Like everything was going to be fine, which hadn't been the case. He had died, and she did nothing. Brooke could only watch.

"Red," Brooke whimpered, tears rolling down her cheeks, and Jayden stopped stroking her hair. "I watched you die. Serrator- Serrator killed you. And I- I- just watched." She choked out, shifting her position so that she was facing him, gold eyes welling with tears.

"Hey, hey. I'm right here, I'm not leaving. You're safe, I'm safe." Jayden reassured Brooke, and he could make out her figure thanks to the faint glow coming from Amaris. Who had woken up when Brooke had yelled, and she was now watching intently, keeping violet eyes trained on the silver ranger.

Who latched herself onto Jayden, Brooke wrapping her arms around his torso tightly. He felt her claws prick his skin through his shirt, but he didn't care much, returning the hug. They said nothing, Brooke only letting out choked sobs, and Jayden rubbing small circles in her back. He understood her nightmares all too well- he had his fair share of them throughout the months. Watching his friends and teammates die never got easier, and he didn't know what to really say, so Jayden just held Brooke as she shook. He provided himself as a source of physical affection and comfort, and she seemed to latch onto him, but he wasn't complaining.

After ten minutes or so, Brooke eventually calmed down. She drew in a shaky breath, tightening her grip on Jayden slightly. "Thank you." She thanked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Of course. I'm always here, and I'm not leaving you anytime soon." Jayden replied, and Brooke let out a weak laugh.

"God, you're the best," Brooke murmured, pulling away. Thanks to her heightened eyesight, she could make out the features of his face, and she gently cradled Jayden's face in her hand. She could feel the warmth radiating off of his cheek, and that caused her to break into a small smile. "Are you embarrassed?" She teased, and he presumably shot her a glare.

"You're really something," Jayden grumbled, his face burning. It was due to the fact Brooke was praising him and mixed with the way she was somewhat straddling his lap didn't help. Still, he wasn't complaining, he just wasn't used to it. "How quickly you can go from upset to teasing me amazes me." He commented, and _god_ did he want to kiss her. It was the prime opportunity to, in all honesty, but Jayden stopped that thought process before it could even start.

"I had to act this way for Maxx. He would always get angry when he saw me upset- not at me, but at James. To prevent him from doing something stupid, I just had to snap out of it quickly," Brooke replied, chewing on her bottom lip as her eyes flashed. "Thanks for dealing with it." She thanked, stroking Jayden's cheek with her thumb. It was even warmer now, and she didn't really know what had gotten into him. But, he was still here.

"No need to thank me," Jayden stated, stammering as he tried to find the words to say. Why was this so awkward for him? He didn't really know. "You're… you're interesting." He mumbled, and Brooke let out a quiet laugh, dropping her hand to her side.

"Good interesting or bad interesting?" Brooke wondered jokingly, and then made a noise of surprise when she felt calloused hands cup her face gently.

"It depends on the day," Jayden retorted after he regained his composure (and his confidence), and Brooke pretended to pout, her eyes flashing. It was times like these that he always enjoyed, happy memories that made fighting the war not too terrible. "Mostly good, though." He added, and Brooke hummed in response.

They were more physically affectionate with each other than Brooke was with anyone she had dated- and that realization dawned on her. Did that _mean_ anything, or was it just because they were both touch starved? It wasn't like it was _bad,_ but it was just confusing. Maybe she was just overthinking this due to the pain, and Brooke summed it up to that. She tried to ignore the way she was straddling Jayden's lap, her cheeks burning as she thought of the implications. She didn't bring it up, because he didn't say anything, but still. It was almost three in the morning and she was sitting on his lap while he was stroking her face. It wasn't embarrassing, it was just foreign. Even for her.

"You're muttering to yourself _and_ your face is warm. What're you thinking about?" Jayden teased, and Brooke's eyes flashed as she averted her gaze from him.

"I- I don't like it when you use my tricks against me, Red," Brooke fired back, deflecting the question. Because she didn't want to go down that road anytime soon. Especially now. "I need to take some pain meds though, that's what I need to do." She thought aloud, reaching over and flicking on the lamp.

She felt as Jayden's hands dropped from her cheeks to her hips, and the light revealed how _red_ his face was. All the confidence he had left his body, and his gaze landed anywhere but Brooke's face. Well, now they were here. The light broke any tension- which was romantic and somewhat sexual, and it left the two just embarrassed. They just stared at each other for a moment, Brooke's eyes flashing multiple times.

"Y'know what, let's just go back to sleep," Brooke announced, getting off of Jayden's lap and sitting on her side of the bed. She reached for the bottle of painkillers and cursed silently at her shaking clawed hands. She didn't even know _why-_ it's not like she was new to being physically affectionate with someone. It was just Jayden. "If you, uh, feel uncomfortable- you don't have to stay. It's, uh... It's up to you." She added and kicked herself for the part of her mind that wanted him to stay.

"No!" Jayden blurted, and Brooke nearly spit out her water, forcing the two painkillers down. "It's not that- I… yeah." He trailed, and she smiled. It was frazzled, like they both didn't know what they were doing.

Which they didn't, the red and silver rangers just staring at each other for a minute. "Yeah," Brooke repeated in agreement, turning off the light and laying down quickly. "G'night, Red." She mumbled as she pulled the blankets over her head, Jayden following suit.

The two laid there awkwardly for a couple of minutes, their faces burning. The tension in the air was so thick it could be cut with a spin-sword, and it stayed that way until Jayden broke the silence. "Can- can I hold you?" He stammered, cringing at the fact that his voice rose in pitch ever so slightly. _Well, tonight is going great,_ he thought as he waited for a response.

After a painful silence that left Jayden regretting every action he's ever made, Brooke spoke. "Yeah. Please." She was barely audible and rolled over so that she was facing him. It took a couple of moments, but then they were back into their usual position, Brooke laying her head on Jayden's chest, who had an arm around her waist. His heart was pounding in his chest, and she could hear it, but this time, she didn't say anything. It was already bad enough.

It was just a matter of time until the painkillers kicked in and Brooke shut her thoughts off. She was waiting for that, and she eyed Amaris. The white wolf was just watching the two, violet eyes shining in amusement without saying anything. At least she knew that Amaris wouldn't tease her, because Brooke would impale herself at that point. Finish the job that Serrator started, and kill the nighlok's ego by killing _herself_. Which wasn't a good thought process to be having, but it was better than sitting in her own embarrassment. Which eventually subsided, and she heard as Jayden's heartbeat evened out and slowed. It wasn't long before he actually fell asleep before Brooke did, which was surprising for her.

His heartbeat was calming, and Brooke found that it was the only thing she could focus on. The pain meds started to kick in, and she let herself fall asleep, a small smile on her face.

* * *

The rustling of blankets woke Brooke up, and she cracked a grey eye open. Her vision slowly adjusted to the light that was now filtering into her bedroom through her thin curtains, she took a moment to regain her bearings. She felt Jayden nudge her gently off of his chest, and she instantly made a noise of annoyance, latching herself onto his side. She felt cold- freezing, actually, and she pulled the white comforter and her grey blanket tighter around herself and Jayden. Who was rather nonchalant about the whole thing, him looking down at Brooke with a small smile.

"Good morning," Jayden greeted, and Brooke didn't respond, only wrapping her arms around his torso. "Everything alright?" He could feel her shaking, and that caused a sense of worry to swirl in his gut.

"I'm cold," Brooke complained, and Jayden knit his brows at that. It was rather warm under the blankets, and she was pretty much stealing his body heat, so there was no real reason she should be cold.

"I can stay here for a little bit," Jayden offered, brushing some of Brooke's fluffy hair away from her face. His fingertips brushed her forehead, and he felt his eyes widen some. "Brooke, you're burning up." He breathed out, pressing a palm to her forehead. It was incredibly hot, heat radiating off of her skin.

"Eh?" Brooke responded groggily, looking up at Jayden with unfocused eyes. "I'm cold." She repeated herself for emphasis, and Jayden frowned slightly.

"You have a fever, let's get you something that'll help," Jayden explained, and Brooke knit her brows, peering at him skeptically as he got out of bed. "What is it?" He wondered as she pushed herself up, adjusting her position so that she was sitting upright.

"I don't get fevers. I don't get sick, it's a wolf thing." Brooke stated, scanning her bed. She spotted Jayden's hoodie and pulled the red fabric out from under Amaris, shrugging off Jayden's flannel.

Jayden raised his eyebrows at that. He didn't know that, but now it obviously wasn't the case. "It might be your body trying to fight off some infection because you're injured," He mused, Brooke pulling his hoodie over her head. "Let's get you something to help with it, then you can go back to bed, alright?" He offered, gently grabbing her hand and pulling Brooke off of her bed and onto her feet.

She stood there for a moment, blinking slowly and trying to wake herself up. She eventually did so, turning her attention to Jayden, or rather, the sweatpants he was wearing. They were proudly displaying the name and logo of a political rock band, and Jayden honestly looked out of place wearing them. "Band merch doesn't suit you." Brooke teased, her voice groggy, and he looked down at the sweatpants and then at her.

"Glad to see you're awake," Jayden grumbled in faux annoyance, Brooke laughing faintly in response. He still remembered last night- and the painful awkwardness that made him want to skewer himself but chose to ignore it.

"Glad to have you here," Brooke responded, and Jayden felt his face heat up again. Which he instantly screamed at himself for, because _now wasn't the time._ "Anyways, ibuprofen helps with fevers, right? I have some." She asked, and Jayden was glad she didn't look back at him as the heat on his face subsided.

"Yeah," Jayden confirmed, and Brooke hummed in response, making her way into her closet. "What're you doing?" He questioned, raising a brow as she came out with a small leather backpack in hand.

She didn't respond directly, only setting the backpack on her desk and unzipping it. "Running away stash, I always keep it with me- just in case," Brooke answered, fishing out the bottle of ibuprofen from where it was wedged in between a sweatshirt and a pair of jeans. With a quiet cheer, she pulled out the bottle, turning her attention to Jayden. "Why're you giving me that look?" She asked, her eyes flashing. His blue eyes were full of something akin to sympathy, and it confused her.

"You're safe here, you know that, right? I won't let anything happen to you." Jayden blurted, and Brooke's eyes widened, flashing and turning grey-gold.

"Thanks, Red. I know," Brooke spoke softly, looking down at the leather backpack with a bittersweet smile. "I feel safe here, I just always have this with me. It keeps me from getting paranoid. Don't worry, I'm not leaving anytime soon." She promised, returning her attention to Jayden and shooting him a gentle smile.

"Good. I want you here," Jayden replied, a certain happiness filling his chest as Brooke broke out into a genuine smile. "Another thing- how do you know how much of something to take? You said before that normal doses don't work on you, right?" He wondered, and Brooke shivered as she peered down at the label, knitting her brows.

"Usually, I just double the dose and hope for the best- I don't know what the fuck my body does half the time. So, I figured as long as it doesn't kill me, it should be harmless," Brooke shrugged, her eyes flashing as she shivered and unscrewed the cap. Thinking for a moment, she poured four ibuprofen into her hand and set the bottle back on her desk. Noticing Jayden's expression, she quirked a brow. "Don't tell me you're judging me now. At least I'm taking care of myself." She remarked with a grin, then popping the pills into her mouth, downing them with water.

Jayden only shook his head with a small smile. "You're really something," He murmured, then turned his gaze to the digital clock on Brooke's desk. Reading the time, he cringed. He knew he had to leave soon. "I have to go." He announced, and Brooke frowned, her eyes flashing multiple times.

"That's stupid," Brooke commented, picking up one of the pillows on her bed and flinging it at him. Jayden caught it with ease, throwing it back on the bed walking over to where she was standing. "You're leaving me in a time of need, Red. You being a heater would be _very_ helpful right now." She joked, and truthfully, Jayden wanted to stay. But he knew he couldn't.

"I have to, you know that," Jayden retorted, wrapping Brooke into a hug, which she instantly returned. "Get some rest." He murmured, feeling as Brooke shivered, burying her face into the crook of his neck.

The two stayed like that for a couple of moments, until Brooke stepped away, holding out a hand. "The moon disk, if it's alright." She explained, and Jayden nodded. Amaris disappeared in a flash of silver, the purple disk appearing in the red ranger's hand in a flurry of red particles. The blood once coating part of the disk had been cleaned off, and Jayden handed it to Brooke, who took it.

The disk disappeared and Amaris appeared in a flash of silver. The white wolf was obviously annoyed about these turn of events, her ears flattened to her head and her fur bristled. Brooke crouched down, and then winced, standing up again quickly. Jayden eyed her in concern, and she waved her hand in dismissal.

"I'll be okay, don't worry," Brooke yawned, sitting on the side of her bed. Amaris jumped up and laid her head on Brooke's thigh, who pet her with a small smile. "Go get your jeans before the others start asking questions. You can just throw the sweatpants in the laundry." She urged, and Jayden rolled his eyes with a smile.

"Will do," Jayden replied, Brooke shooting him a thumbs up.

As he got changed, Brooke got into bed fully, Amaris curled up beside her. She was lazily petting the wolf, just going over the past couple of days and organizing her thoughts. She knew she shouldn't be- but she was grateful for the small break she got to have. However, Brooke knew that she would have to step up her game again, and train harder. She hadn't really thought of Serrator, the nighlok just left a negative presence in her mind. Still, the nagging fear was still there, and he needed to be dealt with. The despair symbol also needed to be dealt with, but she knew she wouldn't get very far if she overworked herself. So, she allowed herself a day to recover and the slashes made by Serrator to scab over. Brooke didn't know what the nighlok's plan was, but he would be dealt with. She made the silent vow to be the one to land the finishing blow, and maybe that'll help with the feeling of her mother's ghost following her. Maybe it'll lessen the weight on her shoulders.

She was just dozing off when the bathroom door opened. Brooke heard Jayden's familiar footfalls, and she had a small smile on her face when he looked down at her. "You look happy." Jayden pointed out, and she nodded, letting out a yawn.

"It'd make me happier if you could stay." Brooke yawned, reaching out a hand. Jayden instantly took it, rubbing small circles into the back of her hand with his thumb.

"I'd like to stay, but I've got to go train," Jayden mused, shooting Brooke a playful glare at her comment of "boring". "Get some rest, and feel better. Yell if you need anything." He urged, and Brooke nodded, closing her eyes.

"Yessir, will do. Thanks for everything." Brooke yawned, releasing her grip on Jayden's hand. She let her arm just fall, landing on her white comforter with a dull _thump._

Jayden smiled fondly, brushing some hair away from her face. "Of course, I know you'd do the same for me. And I'll always be here for you," He murmured, kneeling on the side of her bed and pressing a light kiss on her forehead. "Sleep well." His voice was barely above a whisper, and he then left the room, casting one last glance at Brooke before shutting the door behind him.

* * *

When Brooke woke up for the _third_ time, she actually felt somewhat _well-rested._ Not fully, and she was still cold- but she felt less terrible than she did this morning. The morning with Jayden flashed through her mind, and she felt as a small smile grew on her face. The forehead kisses were nice, and sleeping beside him was always nice. _He_ was nice.

Letting out a yawn, Brooke stretched her arms over her head. She just allowed herself to lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. It felt like back when she was younger- on summer break and not having a real care in the world. Back then she didn't have to worry about nighlok that killed her mother and was out to kill _her._ It was an easier time, but it was almost boring. Being a ranger gave her a sense of excitement, and something to truly live for, other than her friends and family. Plus, she got to meet Jayden, so maybe the blood, sweat, and tears were worth it. Of course, this was all if she mastered the despair symbol, therefore completing the cage symbol, in time. If not, Brooke might just end it all at that point. Ask Xandred to kill her.

"Wow, okay. Going too far, Brooke." Brooke chided herself, rolling over on her side and grabbing her phone off of her nightstand.

Turning her phone on, Brooke read through her notifications. It was nothing really important- just social media of her old school acquaintances messaging her. Apparently, there was a rumor that she went missing- and Brooke let them talk. She didn't respond to the messages or even read them, as it would just lead to a barrage of questions that she couldn't answer. Casper was her only friend that knew of her being the silver ranger, and she planned to keep it that way. Speaking of, Brooke replied to his good morning text, watching in amusement as the typing bubble instantly popped up. They instantly went into their usual banter, and Brooke found herself in a happy mood as she got out of bed.

Getting dressed in a grey hoodie, jeans, and Casper's leather jacket, Brooke laced up her military boots, leaving her room. Amaris was still asleep, now splayed out on her bed- and Brooke let her sleep, casting one last glance at the white wolf before closing the door behind her. Ruffling her hair, she walked down the hall, her footsteps silent on the wooden floor. She had planned to get something to eat and hunt down Jayden, but Brooke found her interest peaked when she spotted Mia, Mike, and Emily peeking around a doorframe. Silently walking over, she quirked a brow at Mike, who nodded in the direction of Antonio and Ji.

The older man was flipping through an archive, pointing at various symbols, Antonio nodding along. The gold ranger had his morpher in one hand and a fishing spool of neon green line in the other, him subconsciously fiddling with it. The four other rangers just watched them in silence for a couple of moments, sharing looks of confusion. Antonio was, technically, the "problem child" of the Shiba House, and it was out of character for Ji to be so close with the gold ranger.

"Wow, it's strange to see those two all buddy-buddy," Emily remarked, her brows knit in confusion.

Mike nodded, a box of cat food in his hand. "Yeah, but what are they doing with the light zord?" He wondered, and Kevin, upon hearing them, looked at the four, shaking his head in disapproval. Still, the blue ranger said nothing, only returning his attention to the _Art of the Samurai_ book.

"Maybe your technology can harness the power of the zord." Ji mused as Antonio punched in numbers into his morpher.

 _Harnessing zords?_ Brooke thought, her eyes flashing as she chewed on her bottom lip. She had to admit that she knew little on zords, as that was Antonio's expertise, but the robotic animals _were_ interesting. She would like to learn more- but she knew she had no time for stuff like that. So, Brooke just shoved those thoughts away.

"I gotta know," Mike declared, shoving past the three girls, who all shared looks of amusement and worry. "Hey, guys, what's up?" He loudly greeted as he walked into the room, Ji instantly holding out a hand and shushing him.

Who instantly stopped in his tracks, but Brooke could see the figurative lightbulb going off above Mike's head as Antonio reached for more trail mix. The green ranger looked at the almost empty bowl and then the box of cat food on his hand, a grin growing on his face. Putting his plan in motion, he quickly grabbed the bowl of trail mix off of the table, filling it up with cat food and then returning it to its original spot.

"There's no way Goldie's gonna fall for that," Brooke declared, crossing her arms over her chest as her eyes flashed. "It smells different." She added, tapping the toe of her military boot on the floor quietly, watching Antonio with an amused expression.

"But we don't have the same sense of smell that you do." Mia pointed out, and Brooke chewed on her bottom lip, nodding slowly. Still, there's no way Antonio would fall for that. _Or so she thought._

On complete and utter autopilot, Antonio grabbed a large handful of cat food and shoved it in his mouth. He was seemingly unfazed by the taste as well, and the three girls shared amused looks with each other, smiles growing on their faces. Mike was silently cheering, and he looked back at the three with a triumphant expression, who laughed quietly. Antonio reached for another handful of "trail mix", but Ji grabbed his wrist lightly, stopping him.

"Antonio, I think we should go fishing now," Ji announced, and Mike's smile instantly faded. The green ranger instantly booked it for the exit, walking quietly.

"Great, sure could use a break." Antonio loudly complained, and Ji grabbed the bowl of cat food.

"Hey, Mike," Ji called, holding out the bowl of cat food, and Mike instantly stopped in his tracks. "Have some." It was more of a command than an offer, and Mike slowly turned around as Ji lightly shook the bowl.

Having a look of fear mixed with disgust on his face, Mike reached into the bowl. Grabbing a small amount of cat food, he hesitantly put it in his mouth, chewing slowly. He had an expression of pain on his face but still tried to act enthusiastic, nodding at Ji. The older man had a shit-eating grin on his face, and the green ranger slowly turned back around, starting his walk of shame. That was when Brooke went back to her main task of finding Jayden.

Which was quite easy, as the red ranger usually had a set routine. Plus, Brooke could make out the faint smell of smoke and his cologne, following the scent to the outdoor dojo. She found him training, per usual, practicing some moves with a training sword on a dummy. She sat on the steps that connected the Shiba House to the outdoor dojo, grey eyes trained on him without really realizing it. Something about it was attractive, at least to Brooke, watching the way the muscles in Jayden's arms flexed as he swung the training sword with precision. It was obvious he knew what he was doing, his moves strong and confident. _It was…_

Realizing the road of thoughts she was going down, Brooke instantly tried shutting off that thought process. Tearing her eyes away from Jayden, she quickly pulled out her phone, pretending to act busy while her face burnt in embarrassment. Those were the wrong thoughts to have, and she was just glad Amaris was asleep, so that the white wolf didn't read them. Brooke realized she was going down a road that she couldn't stop walking- what was once a harmless crush was becoming full out pining mixed with not-so-innocent thoughts. Which was bad, and she didn't know how to stop it. Usually, she just confronted the problem head-on, asking the guy she had a crush on out on a date. But it was an entirely different case here, as Jayden was her roommate and her _leader._ It was wrong, so very wrong, and she knew if Jane Wolfe could smite her- she would've. It was getting to the point where it was embarrassing, and Brooke resisted the urge to claw her eyes out.

She was still cold, and the fever added to her annoyance. Despite the layers she wore, and the fact it was summer, Brooke shivered, nearly throwing her phone in frustration. But, she didn't, only setting it next to her and running a clawed hand over her face. Still, Jayden's voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Hey, you're awake," Jayden greeted, and Brooke nodded, standing up. She shoved her phone back into the pocket of her leather jacket, silently walking over to him. "Anything remarkable happening?" He questioned, leaning on his training sword as Brooke stopped in front of him.

"Yeah, actually. Been up for like, forty-five minutes, and I've watched both Mike _and_ Goldie eat cat food," Brooke snickered, her traditional grin growing on her face. "I'm not gonna give you context, either. It's better that way." She joked, noticing Jayden's raised eyebrow look. He only smiled slightly and shook his head, noticing the thick hoodie and leather jacket she was wearing.

"I take it your fever hasn't broken yet." Jayden mused, and Brooke's smile faded, her shrugging half-heartedly.

"It's whatever, I guess," Brooke muttered, her eyes flashing as she took a seat on one of the concrete benches. "My body's finally getting the rest it needs, but…" She trailed, and Jayden took a seat next to her.

"But?" Jayden echoed, and Brooke ran a clawed hand over her face. She shouldn't be bothering him with this, so she didn't.

"It's nothing, just thinking," Brooke replied, deflecting Jayden's worry. It was appreciated, it always was, but she felt like she took enough of his time. She didn't want him to get sick of her.

Jayden frowned, the crease above his eyebrow appearing. It was annoyance- the annoyance he carried when he didn't know something. "Brooke, you can talk to me." He reminded Brooke, who nodded but wore a sheepish smile.

"I know, and I appreciate it. It's nothing against you, I just don't feel like talking about my feelings right now. Thanks, though, I always appreciate it." Brooke thanked, shivering. She pulled Casper's leather jacket tighter around her body, annoyance flickering across her features for a moment.

"Of course-" Jayden started, but he was cut off by Antonio crashing through the doors of the Shiba House.

"Hey, we're going fishing!" Antonio called to Brooke and Jayden, toting his cooler that held his fishing supplies behind him. His two childhood friends shared a look of amusement at that, Brooke drawing her knees to her chest as a way to trap in her body heat.

"No, we're not," Ji was hot on his tail with the light zord in hand, killing Antonio's mood instantly. "We need to keep working on this," The older man stated, raising the light zord slightly for emphasis. "But we need privacy." He added, and Antonio let out a quiet sigh.

"Okay." Antonio agreed reluctantly, following behind Ji as they walked towards the gates.

The two left the Shiba House, the red and silver rangers sharing the same small smile of amusement. Jayden rose from his seat, and Brooke let out a yawn, resting her chin on her knees. The two went into a comfortable silence- well, it wasn't necessarily silence. Jayden ran towards the training sword with a yell, and Brooke watched him with half-lidded eyes. She didn't even know why she felt tired, she's gotten more rest than she's had in _a while,_ but she summed it up to the fever. Which was annoying, incredibly so, and Brooke debated putting on another layer. Still, she decided against it, shifting instead. The brown wolf laid on the concrete bench, her tail hanging off of it as gold eyes closed. The sun warmed her fur- and she wondered why she didn't do this more often. With her wolf form, she technically could nap anywhere, her fur acting as a blanket of sorts. Which was nice, and Brooke found herself falling asleep quickly.

After a couple of minutes, Jayden put his training sword out of the rack, shaking the tension out of his arms. His blue eyes scanned the outdoor dojo and sparkled with adoration as his gaze landed on wolf-Brooke. Who could barely fit on the bench, as wolves were much bigger than he thought they would be, but still fast asleep regardless. Walking over, he pet the brown and white fur in between her ears, the brown wolf cracking open a gold eye. Once she deemed it wasn't a threat, wolf-Brooke fell asleep again, her tail wagging slowly.

Smiling fondly, Jayden then turned his attention back to the training dummy, shifting into hand-to-hand combat. Which was a set routine as well, the familiar motions soon being the only thing he focused on. That was until he flipped over the dummy, landing on his feet as the gap sensor started blaring. His eyes snapped to the glowing sensor and then wolf-Brooke, who stirred and hopped off the bench, stretching. He knew she was in no condition to fight, and Jayden just hoped she made this easy for him.

"You should stay here," Jayden advised as Brooke shifted back, and the silver ranger shot the red a glare. "Brooke, I'm serious. You'll hurt yourself further." He argued, and she said nothing for a moment, knitting her brows as her eyes flashed.

Brooke weighed her options- and she didn't like either of them. She could go against Jayden's orders and fight, which could spell disaster if it was Serrator again. Because, with her luck, it honestly could be. Or she could stay at the Shiba House, and that just made her feel _weak_. Which was stupid- very much so, but she knew it was the better bet. Worst-case scenario she took another nap.

Turning to Jayden, Brooke let out a heavy sigh. "Yeah, I will. Stay safe." She agreed hesitantly, flashing Jayden a small smile and watching as he nodded, then running into the Shiba House to presumably go change.

Shoving down the irrational feelings of inadequacy, Brooke walked into the Shiba House as the others ran out. At least she had the place to herself, and while the others were out saving the world, she made herself lunch.

* * *

Upon reaching the area where the gap sensor went off, Jayden felt his lips twitch into a small frown as he furrowed his brows. The light zord laid in the grass a couple of feet away from Antonio's cooler- the objects' owner nowhere to be found. Ji wasn't around either- and Jayden had a feeling that it wasn't the two just taking a break. It was something worse than that, but he shoved those thoughts aside. Worrying about it would get him nowhere, so he just focused on the task at hand.

"Ji, Antonio…" Mike muttered, picking up the light zord from where it was discarded on the grass.

"They would never leave this behind." Mia pointed out, her brows knit in confusion.

"I think someone must've ambushed them," Kevin concluded, and Jayden nodded, his face almost emotionless.

"I think you're right." Jayden agreed, scanning the area. There were no signs of anything that could lead to Ji or Antonio, and he let out a quiet sigh. That meant they had to presumably call on Brooke, because of her wolf senses, but he didn't want to see her more hurt.

"This is all my fault," Mike mumbled, looking down at the light zord and the four other rangers. Which was strange- it was as if they were back at the beginning, when it was just the five of them. "They wouldn't have come here if I hadn't been messing around." He added, green eyes holding something akin to guilt.

"You finally figured that out, huh?" Kevin mocked, and Jayden bit back his annoyance, a tension headache forming.

He didn't like infighting- he never had. It was something Jayden didn't know how to deal with and was relatively common between the blue and green rangers. Which didn't make things any better. "Enough," He commanded, his voice taking on a much harsher tone than he meant to. Still, it got the point across. "All that matters now is finding Ji and Antonio." He tried not to show his worry- and the gears in his head turned as he came up with a battle strategy without the silver and gold rangers present.

"Should we get Brooke?" Emily wondered hesitantly, her eyes lingering on Jayden for a moment. "I mean, she tracked down the other nighlok." She reminded the team, who all looked conflicted.

"Brooke's not doing well at the moment, I don't want to put her in any more harm than necessary," Jayden replied, instantly shutting the idea down. "Let's just try to find something that will help lead us to Ji and Antonio." He urged, ignoring the team's knowing looks.

Ten minutes passed, and the five rangers stood at a door that led to a series of tunnels underground. Jayden tried turning the lock and made a quiet noise of annoyance when he found the door was locked. Well, that definitely meant _something,_ and he turned to the four others. "Anyone know how to pick a lock?" He questioned, and Mike's eyes widened when four pairs of eyes landed on him.

"Why're you all lookin' at me?" Mike exclaimed, and Kevin shrugged nonchalantly.

"You seem like the type," Kevin answered, and Mike grumbled something under his breath. "Do you know how to?" The blue ranger pressed, and the green shook his head.

 _"I don't._ But, if we're stereotyping, Brooke most _definitely_ knows how to. I mean, she's got the "I pick locks" vibe," Mike mused, and green eyes met blue. "I know she's not one hundred percent at the moment, but she's our best shot. We need Miss Werewolf right now." He defended against Jayden's silent questioning, and after a couple of moments of silence, the red ranger nodded.

He said nothing, only taking his samuraizer out of his pocket and flipping it open. Dialing Brooke's familiar number, Jayden brought the device up to his ear. She picked up on the first ring, her voice somewhat groggy as she spoke. _"Missing me already?"_ She greeted teasingly, and Jayden heard the faint sounds of blankets rustling. That made him feel guilty, extremely so, but he shoved that aside.

"Do you know how to pick a lock?" Jayden blurted, and Brooke made a noise of surprise, the line going silent for a couple of moments.

 _"...Yeah. Why? Everything okay?"_ Brooke questioned, her teasing tone turning into one of concern quickly.

"We need your help to track down Antonio and Ji. I'm sorry-" Jayden started, but Brooke cut him off quickly with a faint laugh.

_"No worries, Red. Wolf girl is gonna save the day for you all, just give me like two minutes."_

"Thanks, Brooke." Jayden thanked, and Brooke hummed in response, and he heard the sounds of her presumably getting out of bed.

 _"No need to thank me, I'm here to do my job,"_ Brooke replied, letting out a yawn. _"See ya soon."_ With that, the line went dead, and Jayden shut his samuraizer. He turned his attention to his teammates, Mike having a shit-eating grin on his face.

"Told you so." Mike teased, and Jayden rolled his eyes.

He opened his mouth to retort, but, in a flash of silver, Brooke was standing next to him. She looked tired, but still wore her traditional grin. Her grin fell when grey eyes surveyed the area, eyes flashing and turning grey-gold as she glanced at the lock. "Oh, this is easy. I'm surprised you don't know how to do this, Mike," She mused, ignoring Mike's comment of "shut up" as she pulled out her wallet. "It's an entry doorknob, and you can just slide a credit card in and circumvent the lock. Or, in my case, a school I.D." Brooke explained, taking her old school I.D. out of her wallet. She'd never thought she would have to use it to circumvent a lock to find her missing mentor and teammate, but hey, it came in handy for _something._

Sliding the I.D. between the door and doorjamb just above the door handle, Brooke slid the I.D. downwards and inwards. She wiggled the I.D. some, but soon it pressed against the latch, and she let out a quiet cheer as she opened the door. It took a minute max, and she was rather proud of herself as the door swung open. Putting her school I.D. back into her wallet, Brooke beamed at the others as she shoved her wallet back into her pocket.

"Why'd you even learn to pick a lock?" Mike asked, and Brooke shrugged.

"Thought it'd be fun. I got bored a lot before I met you guys," Brooke answered, waving her hand in dismissal. "So, I'm assuming you want me to track Goldie and Ji down?" She wondered, and Jayden nodded.

"Yeah, if you're well enough to do so. You don't have to push yourself." Jayden agreed, his eyes shining with worry. Brooke found it endearing, the fact that he cared about her made her happy.

"It's fine. I'll be careful," Brooke reassured Jayden, shooting him a small smile. Then, she dug her samuraizer out of her pocket. Flipping the device open, she activated the brush portion, the silver and red rangers nodded at each other. "It's showtime." She announced, the team following suit and flipping open their samuraizers.

 _"Go Go Samurai!"_ The six called in unison, drawing their respective symbols. Activating them, the six rangers morphed into their usual suits. Brooke then shifted, the brown wolf leading the way as the team ventured into the tunnel system.

The walls and floors were concrete, and wolf-Brooke wrinkled her snout at the scent of mildew. Still, she picked up on Antonio's and Ji's scents easily- the ocean and green tea respectively, sniffing the air and starting to walk. However, she stopped when she noticed the others weren't following her, and she padded over, letting out a whine of confusion.

"It's too dark in here to see," Kevin complained, and wolf-Brooke sat on her haunches.

It was fine for her- though she did forget that the five others didn't have a sense vision like she did. Their lack of ability to navigate was almost amusing, and gold eyes glittered with a mix of pride and mischief. Wolf-Brooke's tail wagged slowly, and Jayden noticed this, a small smile appearing on his face underneath his red helmet.

"Heh, I can fix that," Mike replied to Kevin's complaint, and the rangers' voices echoed off the concrete walls. The green ranger raised the light zord some, and it lit up, illuminating everything in a yellow glow. It was almost… comforting.

"Thanks, Mike," Jayden thanked, then turning his attention to wolf-Brooke. "Lead the way." He urged, and the brown wolf stood, padding down the concrete halls again.

The five rangers' footsteps echoed, and the brown wolf's claws clocked on the floor as the six walked. Wolf-Brooke was alert, her tail held high and ears perked as she sniffed the air, making sure they were on the right track. Jayden was walking beside her, and he glanced at the area that the claw marks once were. A sense of worry arose, but he brushed it aside, trying to focus on the task at hand. Feelings like that would get him nowhere, and he just let out a quiet sigh. Wolf-Brooke presumably heard him, because she glanced at him, gold eyes sparkling with worry, still, he said nothing, the two walking in silence.

"I've got a bad feeling about this." Mia broke the silence, her voice filled with worry as she glanced over her shoulder.

"This is beyond creepy- but, I'm sure Brooke will let us know if anything smells off." Emily agreed but still tried to lighten the mood. Wolf-Brooke let out a bark of agreement at that, her focus unwavering from the bath in front of her.

The tunnel was lined with exposed pipes, but small square lights were on the wall. They were on, surprisingly, but gave the tunnel a strange sense of dread. Brooke shifted back, the smell of rotten milk and death filling her nose as she sniffed the air. "Moogers- presumably. Guessing by the intensity of the smell, it's a large number of them." She explained, resting her hand on her Wolf Kunai from where it was sheathed on her belt.

On cue, the sounds of moogers rushing the six rangers filled Brooke's ears. Grey eyes snapped to the end of the hall, and she unsheathed her Wolf Kunai, as the moogers ran closer. Soon the battle began, and she couldn't lie to herself. With the injuries on her side, it was somewhat difficult to fight. She had to be careful of her movements, as the wrong ones caused pain to flare up and she didn't want to risk opening any of the scabs. So, the silver ranger stuck by the red's side, the two cutting down moogers, the monsters falling with squeals.

"Hey, check out the light zord! It's flying all on its own!" Jayden announced as he cut down a mooger that Brooke kicked in his direction.

The light zord was flying around, slamming itself into moogers and causing them to fall. However, the light zord then fell to the ground, and a mooger kicked it. The zord was sent hurtling through the air, it having powered off when it hit the ground.

"Oh no, Lightie got drop kicked!" Mike exclaimed, cutting down moogers and trying to make his way over to the fallen zord.

However, the number of moogers wasn't stopping, and Brooke quickly changed out her Wolf Kunai for her katanas. The dual swords were longer and gave her the ability to cut down more moogers, but she let out a hiss when she slashed. Her side felt like it was being stabbed, but Brooke tried to ignore it as she regrouped with Jayden.

"We keep cutting them down-" Kevin started, and Emily finished for him.

"But there's no end to them!" The yellow ranger finished, her and the blue ranger fighting side by side.

"If I can take out these fish faces, I have a feeling the light zord could help us!" Mike thought aloud, Mia running over and cutting down moogers when he got overwhelmed.

"Don't worry, I've got your back! It's time to make your move!" Mia urged Mike, and that's what he did.

The green ranger rushed forward, and with calls of "pardon me" and "excuse me", he cut down moogers, trying to make his way over to the light zord. He eventually made his way over and picked up the fallen zord with his free hand, holding his spin-sword on the other. "Hey, I think there's something in the light zord!" He commented, and Jayden told him to hit it. He did so, and a dark red disk flew out of the light zord and straight onto Jayden's spin-sword.

"Nice! _Shark Attack Mode!"_ Jayden called, spinning the dark red disk. A large burst of red energy appeared, taking out the moogers surrounding him and Brooke as a red cape appeared on the red ranger. It was like the one for super samurai mode- with the forked ends and all, but was red with white shoulder pads. His spin-sword changed as well, the body of the sword becoming dark red, and the blade resembling a bright red shark that had a bright blue outline.

Brooke was grateful when he rushed forward to take on moogers with his new sword, as it gave her time to breathe. Her chest heaved as she tried to catch her breath, and her side throbbed in steady tune with the beating of her heart. Her fever also broke, so under her ranger suit, Brooke could feel the sweat rolling down her back and forming at her hairline. She was pretty sure the scabs reopened as well, but she tried to ignore it. She just focused on Jayden, watching as he called out shark-related puns and swung his sword around. Which grew longer and seemed to move on its own, taking out multiple moogers.

The monsters died in a large explosion, and Brooke made her way over to Jayden. She didn't say anything about the pain she felt, only pushing it aside. Sheathing her katanas and shifting, she was glad that injuries in her human form didn't pass over. The brown wolf started running down the halls, and nearly stopped in her tracks when Amaris' voice filled her head.

 _"Keep watch of your injuries, my dear. Do not overwork yourself."_ Amaris advised, and Brooke didn't even think up a response. She just stayed quiet, leading the charge as they ran through the tunnel.

* * *

The team emerged from a cave, and below them was an _army_ of moogers. Some of them held banners and everything, and Brooke's eyes widened underneath her helmet. She knew she couldn't deal with that many, but didn't say anything. The six rangers radiated annoyance and slight worry, just inspecting the army below them without saying a word.

"Didn't we already fill our quota for the day?" Mike thought aloud, annoyance laced in his tone.

"They expected us across the valley, they seemed more focused there. They most likely wanted to catch us by surprise and overwhelm us," Brooke remarked, her eyes flashing underneath her helmet. "It's just poor planning, I guess- they didn't know the layout of the tunnels." She snickered, and the five others heard the twinge of pride in her voice.

"Sure, but if we charge down there, we'll still be outnumbered one hundred to one." Emily blurted, and a small smirk grew on Jayden's face underneath his red helmet.

"True, luckily I have a better idea," Jayden announced, and that's when the second battle began.

Jayden took to the skies in the samurai battlewing, and the five others started to make their way over to where Antonio and Ji were. It was quite easy, all they had to do was dodge the battlewing's blasts and moogers, and soon the six made it over to the nighlok. Who was rather displeased about the turn of events, muttering to itself.

"Ugh, I can't believe they avoided my trap! I thought they could only spot us by coming through that pass!" The nighlok growled, and wolf-Brooke returned with her own, shifting back.

"Should've planned for the wolf on the team," Brooke snickered, drawing her Wolf Kunai and spinning it in her gloved hand. "Silver ranger, ready." She called softly, hearing as the battlewing soared overhead.

"Surprised to see us?" Mike mocked, cutting down multiple moogers with his Forest Spear. "Green ranger, ready."

"Hey guys, you're free," Mia greeted Antonio and Ji, cutting through the ropes that held them both captive. "Pink ranger, ready." She stated, readying her spin-sword.

"Blue ranger, ready!" Kevin declared, firing off a shot with his Hydro Bow. It hit the nighlok's hand, which held Antonio's morpher, and the morpher was sent flying through the air.

Emily jumped up and caught it, performing a flip and then landing on her booted feet. "Yellow ranger, ready! Catch!" She threw the morpher to its owner, Antonio catching the morpher with ease.

 _"Gold Power!"_ Antonio called, his ranger suit appearing on his body in a flash of gold. "Thanks for having my back," He thanked, patting his own back for emphasis. "Gold ranger, ready!" He called, and the nighlok growled.

"How in the world did you figure out my trap?!" The nighlok exclaimed, making a move to run away.

However, it was stopped by Jayden, who held his shark spin-sword out from where he was standing beside Brooke. "Not so fast," He mocked, and it was kind of _cute._ Or at least Brooke thought so, and she wore a smile underneath her helmet as the nighlok made a noise of fear and fell to the ground. "And red ranger, ready." Jayden finished the call, the seven rangers circled around the nighlok, holding their weapons at the ready.

_"Rangers Together, Samurai Forever!"_

"Rangers to the left of me, rangers to the right of me…" The nighlok trailed, letting out a growl. "You make me _spitting mad!"_ The monster exclaimed, turning to the silver and red rangers and spitting some sort of purple gunk at them.

The two rangers cut through the attacks, explosions happening behind them as the gunk hit the ground. With that, the battle began. Jayden seemed to be on some sort of power-trip thanks to Shark Attack Mode, and Brooke found that amusing as she cartwheeled over a mooger's attack and cut it down. The rest of the team was handling the moogers with ease as well- even Ji, who was watching the seven like he did when they were training. The light zord also took care of its fair share of moogers, Antonio then wielding the zord like a weapon. Which it was, in a sense.

The nighlok tried attacking the gold ranger and the light zord, but Antonio fired off a scattershot at close distance. The multiple attacks caused the nighlok to fall to the ground with a yell, and Jayden instantly ran forward to take care of the nighlok himself. That caused both of his childhood friends to share amused looks underneath their helmets, the silver ranger standing next to the gold.

"I'm surprised you're fighting so soon," Antonio remarked, and Brooke laughed breathlessly as her chest heaved.

"Yeah, me too. Leader's orders, I guess," Brooke replied after she caught her breath. She watched Jayden handle the nighlok with ease, then turned her attention to Antonio again. "With every new disk you make or whatever, you fuel his red ranger complex, Goldie. You're boosting his ego too much." She joked, but, in reality, she liked Jayden's puns and taunts that he did when he was confident. They were funny- and somewhat adorable.

Antonio laughed in response, the silver and gold rangers watched as the red successfully defeated the nighlok with the help of the shark disk. The nighlok died in a large explosion and soon returned into its second form, cackling. "I've got my eye on you, rangers! You're done for!" The monster threatened, and the seven went into the routine that they've done countless times before.

The wolf armor and samurai megazords stood side by side, the two robots fighting the nighlok as it rushed forward. The wolf armor megazord got hit, both Brooke and Antonio rooting their feet to the cockpit as it shook. They both clutched onto their control panels for dear life, Brooke feeling a sudden wave of nausea surface. Which wasn't normal- so she summed it up to her injuries coming back to kick her ass once more. And that was _less than ideal._ Still, she swallowed back her bile, turning her attention back to the battle at hand.

The nighlok was a heavy hitter, and the samurai megazord had been knocked to the ground. Which had become a bad habit, as it was the second time back-to-back it had been knocked down. The wolf armor megazord moved to attack, but the nighlok kicked up a large amount of dirt in the robot's face.

"What the-" Brooke muttered, cutting herself off with a yelp of surprise.

"I've got your golden boy and silver girl, rangers! What are you going to do now?" The nighlok sneered, it having one arm wrapped around the wolf armor megazord. That had the megazord pinned in place, and Brooke and Antonio found themselves stuck.

"Back off!" Antonio snapped, and Brooke nearly laughed, the two rangers regaining their footing. They both tried to come up with an idea to escape, but was snapped out of their thoughts when Jayden's voice came through the comms.

"Don't worry, we'll blindside it! _Megablade: Activate! Super Mode!_ " Jayden promised, Brooke and Antonio sharing a look. The red ranger unfolded his megablade, sticking the black box on the end. He then attached the shark disk to his control panel, spinning the dark red disk, and the shark zord disengaged.

"Jayden, now!" Antonio commanded, and the shark zord somehow _ran_ forward. It bit the nighlok's leg, and that caused the monster to let go of the megazord, the silver and gold megazord moving quickly. "Okay guys, let's finish this!" The gold ranger called, and he and the silver ranger unfolded their megablades. The original five formed the samurai shark megazord, the seven rangers launching off their respective attacks.

_"Wolf Claymore: Finishing Swing!"_

_"Shark Zord: Slash!"_

The two attacks hit the nighlok and caused it to explode, the megazords striking their victory poses. The cockpits of the two megazords went up in cheers, and Brooke found herself mouthing along as Jayden called the final line once again.

_"Samurai Rangers: Victory is Ours."_

After defeating the nighlok, the seven hit the ground and demorphed. The team sharing their usual after-battle banter as they started their walk back to the Shiba House. Brooke felt _bad,_ but the nausea subsided somewhat, leaving her with just a headache. She was coated in sweat, her hair sticking to her forehead as she tried to regain her bearing. At least it was over, and she stopped both Jayden and Antonio from walking away by grabbing their wrists. Her two childhood friends turned to face her, blue and brown eyes widening as they took in Brooke's pale face and queasy expression.

"I'm gonna head back with Amaris, I don't feel that well," Brooke explained, feeling as sweat dripped down her back and face. "Just wanted to let you two know so you don't think I'm missing or something." She added, shooting the red and gold rangers weary smiles. Amaris also appeared at Brooke's side, violet eyes showing slight worry, but it was soon replaced by her usual motherly look.

"That's fine, we'll meet you back there," Antonio responded, patting Brooke on the back comfortingly. Which she accepted, but her eyes still flashed as she took in Jayden's expression.

It was one of guilt, and his blue eyes shone with worry. "I'm sorry-" Jayden started, but Brooke cut him off by shaking her head.

"Red, if you apologize one more time for something that isn't your fault, I'm gonna scream. It's okay, my fever broke in the middle of everything. I just overworked myself, which is common, but…" Brooke trailed, letting out a heavy sigh. "I'm starting to ramble, but, _it's fine._ You did nothing wrong, I chose to fight. I promise, alright?" She finished, her eyes flashing, and when Jayden nodded, she smiled faintly. "Good. I'll see you guys at home." With that, she and Amaris disappeared in a flash of silver.

"You worry about her too much," Antonio mused, and Jayden shot him a glare as the two started walking back. "I get it, though. I remember that crush you had on her when we were kids, and, by the looks of it, that hasn't gone away." He teased, Jayden rolling his eyes as heat rose to his face.

"Are you just going to mock me?" Jayden grumbled, averting his gaze from Antonio, who laughed faintly. Still, he said nothing, and Jayden let out a heavy sigh. "She's just… interesting. I don't know how to explain it, but- having her around makes me happy. I want to have her around for a long time." He confessed, mumbling as his face burned. Still, he got the feelings out that he's had to stuff down for a while now. And while it was embarrassing, it was also relieving.

Antonio hummed in response, the two walking in silence for a couple of minutes. "Never thought I'd see the day," He stated, and Jayden raised his eyebrows, the heat on his face subsiding. "I thought you'd let your red ranger complex go to your head by now." He joked, and Jayden let out a groan of annoyance, playfully shoving his friend, who burst into laughter.

Meanwhile, Brooke was never more glad to be in her bedroom. Silently thanking Amaris, which the white wolf heard, she shrugged off Casper's leather jacket and her hoodie. Throwing the leather jacket over on her desk chair and the hoodie in the laundry, she breathed a sigh of relief when the air conditioning hit her skin. However, that sense of bliss didn't last. She looked down at her side, wincing at the crimson that stained the white bandages. Still, it could be dealt with, and Brooke sat on the edge of her bed and untied her boots, pulling them off and flinging them across the room. She also got new clothes to wear- a black t-shirt with some ripped grey jeans and set those on the counter as she got ready to take a shower.

Unwrapping her side, Brooke gagged at the smell of blood that instantly assaulted her senses. Inspecting the gashes, she was pleasantly relieved when she found them already almost scabbed over. _Ah, the joys of wolf healing._ That meant she could be back in battle condition sooner than she thought- because she knew needed to get stronger still. Weakness wasn't an option, it never was.

* * *

After taking a shower, dressing her side, and then getting dressed, Brooke laced up her doc martens. She didn't know if the others were back yet, but there was no harm in trying. After brushing her hair, she silently walked out of her room, her senses perking at the familiar scents the rangers carried filling her nose. That meant they were back, and she followed the smells to the outdoor dojo, where the six rangers, plus Ji, were seated at the outdoor dining table and eating trail mix. She made her way over, Mia noticing her presence and breaking into a caring smile.

"Brooke! How're you feeling?" Mia asked, and Brooke smiled faintly, strands of her damp hair framing her face.

"Better. Not a hundred percent yet, but better." Brooks replied, taking her usual seat next to Jayden. Who discreetly grabbed her hand underneath the table and gave it a comforting squeeze, her returning it.

"Against impossible odds, you got the job done. You saved us," Ji praised, standing up from his seat to address the six rangers. "And I for one, am eternally grateful." He added, taking his seat, and Antonio nodded.

"That makes two of us," Antonio agreed, eating more trail mix. "So, is the shark disk great, or what?" He asked, his brown eyes shining with pride, and Brooke subconsciously tightened her grip on Jayden's hand.

Which he didn't mind at all, him rubbing small circles into the back of Brooke's hand with his thumb. "You truly outdid yourself this time." Jayden praised, using his free hand to raise his glass of water as a toast, Antonio beaming.

"Oh no, now he's going to be even more full of himself." Kevin joked, and Brooke held back a teasing remark about the "red ranger complex". She only shot a teasing look at Jayden, who responded with raised eyebrows. Still, she said nothing, and he squeezed her hand in response.

Meanwhile, Mike seemed to have another one of his ingenious ideas, the box of cat food sitting next to him. He quickly grabbed the now-empty bowl of trail mix, filling it with cat food and holding it out to Antonio. "Hey Antonio, how about some more snacks?" He offered, and Brooke laughed under her breath.

"Ah shit, here we go again." Brooke joked so only Jayden could hear, and he rolled eyes with a faint smile in response.

Antonio looked somewhat skeptical at Mike's offer, but then nodded. "Thanks." He thanked, reaching forward to grab a handful of cat food.

However, before he could do so, Ji practically ripped the bowl out of Mike's hand. "Forget the trail mix, I'll warm you up something in the kitchen." He offered, walking away before Antonio could find out _what_ the "trail mix" already was. The team burst into quiet laughter at that, Antonio looking at the six other rangers quizzically.

"What?" Antonio wondered, scanning the others, and Mike shot him a cheeky grin.

Brooke glanced at the two then Jayden, grinning at him. "I _may_ tease you, but at least I don't make you eat cat food." She joked, and he shook his head with a faint smile.

"I'm just glad to see you okay." Jayden murmured, and Brooke's grin turned into a much more genuine smile.

"Of course, Red. I'm not leaving anytime soon." _I'm not leaving you._


	26. ranger red

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ji's mildly disappointed in Jayden's obvious crush on Brooke, while she's just dense. It's mutual pining- with both of them having no idea how to go about things. Which they are both trying to figure out, but it gets difficult when the two are hypnotized to hate each other. Another red ranger, Scott, joins the party, and the three are the only rangers to fight, the rest of the team getting sucked through a vortex.

The next three days or so went by peacefully. There were no nighlok or sudden battles, and Brooke could just focus on healing. Which is what she did, and soon she was back in commission to battle without worrying about her side. The gashes had scabbed over completely, and soon they would be nothing but a memory. Which was great for Brooke, because she knew that she needed to get stronger still. So, once she was back in commission, she instantly started working on the despair symbol during the day, and training during the night. It was a sound plan, and she made sure not to overwork herself. Sometimes Jayden joined her, like tonight.

The glow of the moon illuminated the silver and red rangers, who stood, dressed in their training uniforms, in the outdoor dojo. Amaris was curled up on one of the concrete benches, violet eyes half-lidded as she watched the pair. Jayden was currently helping Brooke with her stances, so she didn't waver so much from the knockback of blocking a powerful attack. She welcomed the training partner, even though he was somewhat mocking her. It wasn't out of ill-intent, though, it was just friendly teasing that got responded with faux annoyance.

"Your legs are spread too far apart." Jayden pointed out, a training sword in hand. He was instructing like how he did during training, but this time his voice was softer.

Brooke moved to adjust her stance, but she barely had time to react before the training sword collided with her ankle. She let out a yelp of surprise, falling to the ground and landing on her back with a _thud._ "That wasn't fair, I was trying to fix it." She complained, her eyes flashing as Jayden peered down at her with a small smile.

"I know, you're doing better," Jayden praised, holding out his free hand. Brooke took it, and she felt her cheeks heat up at the praise as he helped her to her feet. "Is it because of your ankle that you don't stand correctly?" He questioned, noticing the pink dusting her cheeks. That made him inwardly grin- and was a thing he noticed. It was always _praise_ that got her flustered, now more than ever. Which made sense, given Brooke's past, and Jayden found it endearing, it also being a way to have the upper hand.

"Uh, I don't think so," Brooke confessed, chewing on her bottom lip as her eyes flashed. "I'm self-taught, remember? I guess fifteen-year-old Brooke decided that standing correctly wasn't important." She joked, and Jayden shook his head with a small smile.

"Here, try to mirror me," Jayden instructed, settling into a fighting stance. He had dropped the training sword, which Brooke was relieved about. She was starting to get angry at the weapon after it collided with her legs or her ankles for the umpteenth time.

Brooke glanced at him and tried to copy his stance, wincing slightly at the muscles in her legs screaming in protest. They had been going at this for almost an hour and a half, and her body was starting to reach its limits. Still, she didn't tell Jayden that, as she also wanted to gain more stamina. Which she had more than a human's, but the despair symbol took a large amount of it. So, she didn't have as much as she would like for the nighttime training sessions. Jayden was lenient with her on that, as he understood that she didn't just flake out.

"Your legs are still too far apart," Jayden chided, and Brooke made a groan of annoyance, glancing at him again and readjusting her stance. "I don't think I've seen you this frustrated at training before." He teased, walking over to where she was standing.

"You haven't seen me work on the damn cage symbol, then," Brooke fired back, but she felt her heart rate increase as she heard the familiar footfalls of Jayden. He was getting closer, and her mind almost instantly wandered. However, she stopped that thought process quickly, cursing herself silently. _Now wasn't the time- there was never a good time for that._ "Red, if you hit me with that sword one more time, I'm gonna kick your ass." She threatened, and Jayden rolled his eyes playfully in response.

"Just helping you," Jayden remarked, and Brooke felt him nudge her back foot forward with his own. She lost her balance some but felt a warm hand grab her arm before she could fall. "I've got you- there you go. See, you did great." He praised as she settled into the stance correctly, a ghost of a smile on her lips.

"Thanks, Red," Brooke thanked, standing upright fully, a grin growing on her face. Jayden could only be concerned, and he wasn't prepared when she swept out a foot and knocked his legs out from underneath him. However, he grabbed her before he could collide with the ground, bringing her with him. The two fell to the ground with _thuds,_ Brooke letting out a groan. "Aw, c'mon now. That's not fair." She whined, and he raised his eyebrows.

"How so?" Jayden wondered, sitting upright. Brooke did the same, brushing some of her hair out of her face.

"It just is," Brooke answered, tackling Jayden to the ground again. This time she caught him off guard and was now hovering over him, her arms and legs on either side of his body. It trapped him, but he didn't really mind, only watching as she grinned. "I gotcha now." She joked, and Jayden rolled his eyes with a smile.

Her hair and necklace hung over him, and Jayden, on complete autopilot, reached up and cradled her cheek in his hand. "You're cute." He murmured, feeling as Brooke's cheeks warmed up as she flushed pink.

"What's with you and all the praise lately? Like- I'm- I'm not complaining, but…" Brooke trailed, her eyes flashing as she averted her gaze from Jayden.

"It's fun to see you flustered. You do it to me all the time," Jayden replied, and Brooke huffed in annoyance as she let him sit up. She was sitting on his lap again, but they both didn't really mind. "Let me guess, it's only okay if you do it?" He wondered aloud, and she nodded, grinning.

 _"Precisely._ Speaking of," Brooke retorted, tracing his jawline with her fingertips. She stopped at his chin, using her pointer finger to raise it slightly, and she immensely enjoyed the red that coated his cheeks and the tips of his ears. Jayden was sure she could hear his heart pounding, and his heart rate only increased as she leaned forward. "Goodnight, Jayden." She purred, pressing a lingering kiss to his cheek and then getting off of his lap, walking into the Shiba House as he just sat there.

 _What the hell?_ Jayden thought, his mind reeling and his face burning. That was _incredibly new-_ and extremely flirty. His mind didn't know how to react to it, and he just sat, shellshocked. They had been getting closer- to the point where they were obviously flirting with each other. Tonight spurred that into action, as he found himself subconsciously finding any way to touch Brooke. Which was _bad_. Jayden knew he had to deal with those feelings… somehow. He just didn't know how to, without the risk of messing everything up. So, he just made a mental note to practice self-control. Luckily, Brooke only pulled stunts like that when they were alone, so that made things easier. Still, he let out a groan, falling onto his back again.

Staring up at the night sky, Jayden cursed the fact that he had to lead a team of power rangers at _seventeen._ He could only do so much to stuff his emotions down, and it was starting to get difficult. Very much so, in fact, and _especially_ when Brooke popped back into his life. He knew that Ji had noticed as well, and it was getting to the point where Jayden had gotten the "keep personal emotions out of the mission" lecture. Which was embarrassing as all hell, but he didn't want Brooke to stop being around him. It was a sense of normalcy that he never had before- even if she wasn't particularly human and they were both samurai rangers.

The books he read never told him how to deal with this. Jayden even debated going to _Mike_ , as the green ranger was a year older than him and presumably had some romantic advice. However, he didn't, because that would be even more embarrassing. And Antonio… well, it wasn't like the gold ranger had much expertise in dating anyone as well. So, Jayden just accepted the fact that he would have to deal with this by himself. Which he had to learn how to do. _Great._

He tried shoving those thoughts aside, but Jayden really had nothing to think about. The three-day break he got from fighting nighlok caught him off guard, and he almost _wished_ for something to happen. For something else to think about, so he didn't have to deal with this mess of emotions straight on. When there was a battle, he always had to focus on that, coming up with battle strategies and leading the team, making sure his teammates didn't get killed in the process. Now all he did was train and sometimes read archives. It wasn't very eventful, and it was _boring._ Even though Mike had joked that Jayden had no sense of adventure- even the red ranger got bored without having nighlok to fight.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Jayden rose to his feet, walking over and picking up his discarded training sword. Putting it back in the rack, he scanned the outdoor dojo, noticing that Amaris had presumably gone in with Brooke. Which was good, because he didn't want the white wolf seeing his crisis anyways. Running a hand through his hair, he walked back into the Shiba House and returned to his room. It was easier to just pretend like the feelings weren't there, and that's what Jayden planned to do.

* * *

When the gap sensor went off, Brooke couldn't be more thankful. She was starting to go stir crazy, so this was her lucky break- as long as it wasn't Serrator. _That_ nighlok terrified her, more than she wanted to admit. He was powerful, far more so than Deker, and the fact that he had leverage over her was concerning. He had the upper hand, and Brooke was trying to find a way to stop that. She had scoured her family's archives, but found nothing important, per usual. Next up was the Shiba family's archives, but there were _so many_ of those that she didn't know where to begin. She'll have to ask Jayden for help later. Or Kevin, as the blue ranger probably had the archives memorized at this point.

She snapped out of her thoughts when the six reached the plaza- Antonio fishing or something, scanning the area. A nighlok wasn't present, but it sure as hell smelt like it was. The scent covered most of the area, and Brooke gagged underneath her silver helmet. The helmet made things worse most of the time, and now was no different.

"The gap sensor went off right here…" Mia trailed, the pink ranger having a hand resting on her spin-sword as she scanned the area.

"Yeah, but where is the nighlok?" Kevin wondered aloud, then turning his attention to Brooke. "Brooke, do you smell anything?" The blue ranger asked the silver, who nodded.

"Yeah, the smell's-" Brooke started, but cut herself off when her senses perked at a shift in energy. "Brace yourselves!" She warned, flipping open her samuraizer and activating the brush portion. _"Protection!"_ She yelled, drawing the symbol quickly and activating it, the translucent silver bubble surrounding the six.

Just in time, too, as a building near the stadium _exploded,_ shards of glass and debris sent hurtling toward the rangers. Which the protection symbol blocked, preventing the team to be hit by the pieces of the building. As the debris settled, the nighlok also appeared with a call of "zip zip zip". Which was a rather strange catchphrase, especially for a nighlok that looked like a skeleton of a shark with red fur. The monsters only got weirder as time went on, and the team didn't question it anymore.

"Thanks, Brooke." Mia thanked, and Brooke nodded, the protection symbol disappearing.

"Destroying a whole building's new," Brooke muttered under her breath, her eyes flashing under her helmet. "Also, it's no problem. It's what it's made for, after all." She replied, waving a gloved hand in dismissal, putting her samuraizer in its pouch and then drawing her Wolf Kunai as the nighlok sauntered forward.

"Samurai rangers, I'm like a force of nature," The nighlok introduced itself, Brooke and Jayden sharing a look of mutual annoyance underneath their helmets. "A twister and a shark bite wrapped in one and ready for fun!" The monster added, and the team moved to rush forward.

However, they were interrupted by Antonio, the morphed gold ranger running up to the battlefield. "Hey, wait for me!" He called, stopping in front of the six.

"You're late." Kevin scolded, and Brooke snorted, spinning her kunai in her hand.

"Sorry, but this will be worth the wait!" Antonio apologized, turning his attention to the nighlok. "Hey Sharkjaw, get ready for a barracuda bite!" He threatened, unsheathing his Barracuda Blade and running forward. He began to rush the nighlok and was doing rather well, but Brooke knit her brows when the smell of _machine oil_ filled her nose.

It wasn't coming from any of the rangers, nor the nighlok, so Brooke tensed, instantly scanning the area. Her gaze landed on another nighlok near a tree, who had a cog for a head and it's face in the middle. It seemed to just be watching, but the silver ranger still nudged the red on the shoulder. "Red, there's another one." She warned, nodding towards the cog-nighlok.

Jayden's gaze landed on the cog-nighlok and he instantly tensed. _Well, this was the excitement he was wishing for._ "We should focus on Sharkjaw for now, since that one just seems to be watching," He thought aloud, and Brooke nodded. "Thanks, though. Stay on guard." He advised, the pair having tight grips on their weapons.

Brooke cringed when Antonio landed on the ground in front of the team, letting out a groan of pain. She couldn't help but feel bad, but the battle still had to go on. With a discreet nod to Emily and Mia, the three female rangers stepped forward, sliding their zord disks onto their respective weapons. Spinning the disks, the blades of their weapons lit up their signature colors, the pink, yellow, and silver rangers calling out the attack names as they slashed.

_"Air Wave!"_

_"Primate Cyclone!"_

_"Lone Wolf!"_

The pink, yellow, and silver attacks hit the nighlok head-on, causing the monster to get knocked to the ground. Still, it picked itself up rather quickly, facing the team again. "It's time to take you losers for a spin! _Tornado Warning!"_ The nighlok threatened, becoming a _tornado._ Which was hurtling towards the seven rangers at an alarming speed, and they didn't have time to react before it collided with the team and sent them to the ground.

"Nighlok!" Mike yelled, getting to his feet quickly. He tried using his sword as a way to presumably stop or slow down the tornado, but it did little to help. In fact, it did more harm than good, as a large number of sparks came from the spin-sword and the green ranger was sent backwards. He slid on the ground in front of the team, glancing at his spin-sword. "Well, that's not cool." He summarized, as the blade of his sword was almost fully worn away, rendering it useless.

"Sharks don't stop swimming, and I won't stop spinning!" Sharkjaw cackled, going into its tornado form again, and both Brooke and Jayden instantly felt worry claw at their hearts as Antonio ran forward.

"Time for me to put my own spin on things!" Antonio challenged, running forward.

 _"No!"_ Both Brooke and Jayden called in unison, but it was too late. The gold ranger received the same fate as the green, as he was sent hurtling sideways and collided with the ground.

The only good thing about this turn of events was the fact that Sharkjaw's body started greying and cracking, signaling that it was drying out. "Zip zip! Oh no, I'm drying out, you rangers got lucky, zip zip!" Sharkjaw stated, then disappearing in a crack in a flash of dark red.

The team demorphed, Brooke scanning the area once again. The cog-nighlok had disappeared from view, but the smell of machine oil still lingered in the air. That was a nighlok she's never seen- and it didn't _look_ like a traditional nighlok. While nighlok were usually strange creatures, none of them had a mechanical theme or looked like they were made out of metal. She had a feeling it wasn't supposed to be here- like it was from a different area entirely. Which wasn't _good_ in the slightest.

"Hey, you're muttering to yourself," Jayden called softly, snapping Brooke out of her thoughts. "C'mon, the others wanted to go get ice cream," He urged with a small smile, and she returned it with her own as they walked side-by-side. "Were you thinking about the other nighlok?" He asked, and Brooke nodded, letting out a heavy sigh.

"Yeah, something about it seems _off._ Like, it didn't even smell like nighlok, it smelt like a machine," Brooke answered, running a clawed hand over her face as her eyes flashed. "That's why I noticed it, to begin with. It's extremely different from a traditional nighlok, that's for sure." She concluded, shoving her hands into the pocket of her leather jacket, and Jayden knocked her shoulder with his own.

"It's going to work out." Jayden started, and Brooke grinned at him.

"Like it always does," Brooke finished, eyeing the ice cream shop as the four others- Antonio deciding to go fish, went inside. "Been a while since I've done something like this." She mused, and Jayden hummed in response.

"One time when we were little, Ji took us here," Jayden recalled with a fond smile. "And then you proceeded to trip over something and fall on the sidewalk." He added, laughing faintly.

Brooke heard his laughter and rolled her eyes with a small smile. "Glad to know you found enjoyment from me eating concrete, Red," She joked, kicking a small pebble and sending it hurtling down the street. "That screams _ten-year-old boy,_ though." She remarked, the pair stopping in front of the ice cream shop.

"You yelled at me because I laughed." Jayden defended himself, opening the door for Brooke.

"Because you probably deserved it." Brooke fired back, ducking under Jayden's arm and entering the ice cream shop. It smelt good, and she felt a genuine smile growing on her lips when the four rangers waved the silver and red rangers over.

They were seated at one of the tables that were _not_ made for four people, practically crowded around it. "There you two are! We were waiting for you." Emily greeted with a warm smile, and Brooke returned it with her own.

"Sorry, had a lot on my mind. That really didn't go as planned, huh?" Brooke asked, referring to the battle. She also decided to keep the cog-nighlok between herself and Jayden, as she didn't want to worry the others. Right now she just wanted to enjoy her time with them.

"It's alright! We tried our best," Mike stated with his usual carefree attitude, and it was almost infectious. It was like they were a group of six friends rather than soldiers in a war. "This is our celebration. Let's get some ice cream." He urged, a happy atmosphere surrounding the six.

After getting their ice cream, the six walked down the streets of Panorama. Well, Kevin had a carrot and a celery stick, and Mike was teasing him for it. "Kev, we beat the nighlok! This is our celebration!" He spoke through a mouthful of ice cream, and Kevin let out a sigh.

"I am celebrating, Mike." Kevin defended, but Mike was having none of it.

"Why didn't you get ice cream like the rest of us?" Mike fired back, a large grin on his face.

"Mike, stop picking on him." Emily chided, but she had a smile on her face. It was clear to see that the green and yellow rangers had gotten closer, and to say Brooke planned to use it against her was an understatement. Anytime Emily brought up Jayden, she brought up Mike. It was a way to deflect persistent questions.

"But he's eating veggies!" Mike exclaimed, grabbing Kevin's wrist, the blue ranger having a carrot in his hand.

"I've been feeling sluggish lately, _Mike,"_ Kevin grumbled, yanking his wrist out of Mike's grip. "So it's back to a strict samurai diet." He sounded proud of himself, and Mia laughed lightly at that. It was typical Kevin.

"But wouldn't you rather have _mint chip?"_ Mike teased, waving his mint chocolate chip ice cream cone in Kevin's face. He rolled his eyes in response, so the green ranger turned his attention to the silver. "Brooke, do you always get asked if your teeth are real? 'Cause I felt bad for you." He asked, and Brooke sighed.

The cashier had asked if her canines are real, since they're longer than normal, and she had just stood there for a minute. Which was awkward, and Brooke had just nodded and paid for her ice cream without a word. "Yeah, sadly. It's worse with little kids, I got told I had "disco eyes" once by a seven-year-old. Back when I was in school I had colored contacts that were dark enough so it didn't show if they flashed, but I still stuck out. It's- _watch out!"_ She cut herself off, spying as a car went over the side of the bridge that they were just about to walk under.

Jayden noticed too, and he put a protective arm in front of Brooke as the car crashed into the pavement. It landed front-first a couple of feet away from the rangers, who all jumped in surprise. Kevin even fell backwards, dropping his carrot and celery stick, and the car alarm blared. It was incredibly loud for Brooke, and she grit her teeth in annoyance as the sound, and the smell of smoke and car exhaust gave her a headache. Luckily, there was nobody in the car, because that would've _most definitely_ killed a driver on impact.

"God, your senses are a lifesaver," Mike muttered to Brooke, who flashed him a pained smile and a thumbs up.

"Up there!" Mia blurted, pointing above her on the bridge. Purple blasts and workers were running away, which obviously meant some kind of nighlok.

"Let's go!" Jayden commanded, the six making their way to the bridge.

* * *

When the six reached the top of the bridge, there were moogers- well, not really moogers. They were robots, making mechanical sounds that grated Brooke's sense of hearing. They also smelt like machine oil, and she concluded that they were related to the cog-nighlok from before. The lack of familiarity was unnerving, and the five others seemed to share her thoughts. They all stared at the small army of _robots_ warily, but the machines waited for them to make the first move.

"Moogers with lazers?" Emily wondered aloud, and Mike shook his head.

"Those steampunks aren't moogers," Mike stated, and Kevin nodded.

"They're machines, that explains the sound." Kevin agreed, Jayden and Brooke nodding at each other. It was still just an enemy- it could be dealt with.

"Either way, we need to stop them," Jayden commanded, his voice hard. He honestly _didn't_ know what to do, as this was a completely new enemy, and they were even stranger than most nighlok. Still, he knew he had to lead, so he gave up the notion that he was confident. Being uneasy would just make the team uneasy.

The team took their samuraizers out of their pockets and flipped them open, Brooke activating the brush portion on hers. _"Samuraizer: Go Go Samurai!"_ The six called in unison, drawing their respective symbols and activating them. The familiar suits appeared on their bodies, the rangers drawing their blades.

"Let's see just how tough these robots really are!" Jayden challenged, and with that, the battle began.

It wasn't a losing battle, but it was _difficult._ Brooke found herself putting full force behind every swing just to pierce through the robots' armor. Which worked, but it was incredibly draining. Still, Jayden kicked one of the robots towards her, and she managed to skewer it in the heart, it falling to the ground. The sound the robots made was giving her a headache, and it was adding to her frustrations, and she grit her teeth as she fought. Her wolf form couldn't help either, and she didn't want to risk breaking a claw or canine on a robot. Because while only the armor they were was metal, they were still much tougher than moogers.

"God, fuck this." Brooke panted as she and Jayden regrouped. Her arms were sore, and he seemed to be in a similar state that she was in, his chest heaving.

"Yeah, I get what you mean." Jayden agreed, the two catching their breaths and then running into battle again.

"You think you can melt 'em?" Brooke thought aloud as Amaris put up a shield to protect the two from the robots' blasts. Once they stopped firing, the translucent purple shield disappeared, the silver and red rangers running forward again.

"I'm worried it'll just bounce right off," Jayden confessed, and Brooke didn't respond, ducking over a robot's swing.

She swept its legs out from underneath it, knocking it to the ground. Raising her katana, Brooke brought it straight down on the robot's chest, blocking another robot's attack from behind. She successfully killed the thing, at least, and yanked her sword out of the robot, performing a backwards handspring and landing beside Jayden again. Her head pounded, and so did her heart, but she tried her best to ignore it. And it _did_ become secondary as her senses perked again.

Red blasts of energy shot out and collided with the robots, causing them to fall to the ground. A large amount of smoke rose from their bodies, and both the silver and the red rangers snapped their attention to the direction it came from. Jayden subconsciously positioned himself in front of Brooke protectively, _especially_ because of the new figure.

It was a red ranger. Not a _samurai ranger,_ as shown by his suit, but the vibrant red almost put Jayden's to shame. The suit almost had a car theme to it, the ends of his boots looking like tires, and the blaster he was holding looked like a gas nozzle. However, he still had the traditional red and white color scheme, but that was the only thing similar about him compared to Jayden. Brooke almost found it _tacky,_ but she didn't voice that aloud. The red ranger did take care of some of the robots after all.

"Why, hello there," The red ranger greeted, and the team made noises of confusion. "They're almost made of all metal, so your swords won't cut it! But watch this!" He stated confidently, jumping off the ledge of the bridge he was standing on. He started attacking, making quick work of the robots compared to the team.

Still, Brooke returned to her own battle, focusing on the robots at hand. Worst-case scenario- she had the upper hand. The new red ranger didn't know she was a shifter, and she kept that piece of information to herself. He may have a gun, but she had Amaris. Speaking of, the white wolf was present in Brooke's mind, her voice full of confusion.

 _"He is not of this world,"_ Amaris spoke, but even she sounded unconvinced of her own statement. _"He is not a foe, at least. That, I know."_ She added, and Brooke nodded, sparing a glance at the red ranger.

His blaster had turned into a sword, and he was currently pushing Kevin around. The red ranger was cutting down robots while avoiding hitting the blue, but Kevin was still displeased at this turn of events. "Hey hotshot, you almost took my head off!" He scolded, but the red ranger merely laughed and ran over to the next group of robots.

"Amaris says he's not a threat, but she doesn't know where he came from," Brooke explained to Jayden as they regrouped, the silver ranger and red _(samurai_ ) ranger falling into their usual routine. "Still, I'm going to keep the whole wolf thing to myself for now. Could be some hunter for all I know." She declared, and Jayden nodded.

"Stay on your toes," Jayden advised, shifting his attention to the other red ranger for a moment. When he first saw the red suit, he almost thought it was Lauren, and the fear and worry that had filled his body was immense. Now, the fear had dispersed, it being replaced with general confusion and slight annoyance.

The red ranger was _cocky,_ no doubt about it. But it made sense, as he was the only one who could defeat the robots with little difficulty. "You guys really need to update your weapons!" He mocked, dealing with the robots surrounding Mike and moved over to Mia and Emily. "Ladies, watch this." He urged, dramatically dealing with some of the robots and then letting out a mocking laugh.

Still, his confidence faltered when a number of robots lined up and fired their blasters at him. Brooke sighed, sheathing a katana and pulling out her samuraizer, flipping the device open and activating the brush portion. She drew the protection symbol, the shield preventing the red ranger from being turned into target practice. The shield fizzled out, and he turned his attention to the silver ranger for a moment. "Thanks, Sweetheart!" He called, and Brooke just narrowed her eyes. The red ranger turned his attention back to the robots, settling into a fighting stance. _"Time to get in gear!"_

As the red ranger's boots seemed to rev up, and he moved without moving his feet, Brooke turned her attention to Jayden. Who had gone quiet, and she noticed the tight grip he had on his spin-sword. An emotion was radiating off him- it wasn't stress, it was _jealousy._ She grinned underneath her helmet at that, but still feigned ignorance as she nudged his booted foot with her own. "Hey, you okay? Don't zone out now." Brooke teased, and Jayden snapped out of his thoughts.

"Hm? Oh, yeah. I'm okay." Jayden answered, trying to shove down the irrational jealousy he felt. It was worse than with Antonio, maybe because the red ranger was, well, a _red ranger._

"Now that's how it's done in _this century!"_ The red ranger cheered, dealing with the rest of the robots surrounding Jayden and Brooke, the machines exploding around the pair. Who wasted no time, their ranger suits disappearing in flashes of red and silver.

"Who are you?" Jayden asked, and his voice, once again, came out harsher than he meant for it to be. The rest of the team also demorphed and regrouped, the six rangers inspecting the red with expressions of confusion and caution.

"Well, I'm a power ranger, just like you," The red ranger answered, throwing his gun in the air. It landed in its holster, and Brooke raised her eyebrows, her eyes flashing. That was a neat trick, at least. "Where I come from, they call me Ranger Red." Ranger Red introduced himself, and Mike nudged Brooke in the side, who quirked a brow at him, her eyes flashing.

"Another "Red"." Mike snickered, and Brooke rolled her eyes.

She had to admit- that this was probably going to be confusing. She knew her nickname for Jayden was _unoriginal,_ but somebody else using it? Brooke didn't expect that. She didn't necessarily like it, either- and she had to forcibly stop her body from subconsciously shifting. Which _hurt_ , and she instantly regretted that decision. She'd never done that before- and was not planning to do it again.

Ranger Red, noticing the team's silence, started walking up to the six. "What? Oho, you're mad that I took out those Grinders for you," He chuckled, his voice then taking a much softer tone. "Well, they're robots from my dimension, I wasn't sure if your old school swords could handle them. You can call me Scott. Pleased to meet you." He introduced himself, and Jayden warily took his hand.

"I'm not sure we'll have met until I can look you in the eyes," Jayden stated, shaking Scott's hand.

"Ah, not right now. I have my reasons," Scott replied, tapping his helmet for emphasis. Which looked like a car- with decal wheels on the side, and a yellow bird beak on the front. Decal lights represented the bird's eyes, and this time, Brooke couldn't stop her eyes from flashing.

Which Scott seemed to notice, turning his attention to her. "Silver," He started, and Brooke perked up, hooking her thumbs on her belt loops. "What's your story?" He questioned, and Jayden was instantly alert.

"My story?" Brooke echoed, tapping the toe of her doc martens on the ground. With her platforms, she was nearly as tall as Scott- and Jayden, standing at 5'11.

"You're not fully human, are you?" Scott wondered, and Brooke instantly froze, her eyes flashing multiple times as her claws and canines grew in. "My point stands. You're not like anyone I've seen before, and even among your team, you stand out." He pointed out, and she didn't avert her gaze, only quirking a brow.

"Is that flattery _or_ a general statement?" Brooke asked without missing a beat, deflecting Scott's statement with a question, and he chuckled. Truth be told- he had just put one of her insecurities on blast, and she was trying to cover that up to the best of her abilities. Still, she tried to keep her tone as neutral as she could.

"Feisty. Take it as you will." Scott chuckled, and the irrational jealousy hit Jayden at full force. He knew Brooke wasn't doing anything- in fact, she just seemed _blank,_ but, annoyingly, he was still jealous.

 _"Feel free to tell him, my dear. No harm will come of it."_ Amaris' voice rang through Brooke's head, and she nodded.

Running a clawed hand over her face, she let out a heavy sigh. "You're right. I'm not fully human- I'm what they call a shifter," Brooke started, trying to summarize her "gift" to the best of her abilities. "Long story short- my family has the ability to shift into a wolf at will. That includes inhumane features, such as my eyes flashing and my claws and canines. It also comes with heightened senses, sense of hearing and smell, mostly. It's genetic, for the most part, and all silver rangers here have it." She explained, and Scott nodded slowly, digesting the information.

"Huh. Interesting- I'd never thought there'd be rangers in a different dimension, let alone one that isn't human." Scott remarked with a faint laugh.

 _It's always the red rangers,_ Brooke thought, shaking her head with a faint smile. "Thanks for not hunting me for sport. I can never tell with these kinda things." She joked, and she could practically _taste_ the jealousy radiating off of Jayden. Which made her feel guilty, as she didn't mean to make him feel jealous. So, she made the mental note to talk to him when they could be alone.

"Jayden, a lot's been going on today. I don't think we should just trust him." Kevin whispered, Mike nodding in agreement.

It snapped Jayden out of his thoughts, and he made eye contact with Brooke for a moment, surprised to see guilt in her expression. Making the mental note to talk about _that_ later, he turned his attention to Scott. "Ranger Red, you say you come from a different dimension. So, how did you get here?" He questioned, and Scott tried to respond.

However, he was cut off by Mia and Emily taking each of his arms. "Enough already! He's obviously a friend, so he can tell us everything when we get home." Emily stated enthusiastically, she and Mia practically dragging Scott in the direction of the Shiba House.

"Yeah, I'll cook you something!" Mia agreed, and Scoot looked back at the four other rangers.

"Uh, what?" Scott blurted, and he didn't get a response before Mia and Emily dragged him away.

Mike looked at the two girls and Scott, then to Brooke. "You're not gonna go with them?" He snickered, and she shook her head, rolling her eyes.

"Car guys aren't my type. Never have been," Brooke replied with a grin, discreetly glancing at Jayden and then back to Mike. _Besides, only have a thing for one red ranger,_ she thought. While the others started walking, she grabbed Jayden's wrist, he stopped in his tracks, turning to face her. "You're jealous." She stated and watched as his eyes winded and cheeks dusted pink.

 _Well._ There was no point in denying it at this point. "You- you can tell?" Jayden questioned, inwardly kicking himself for the stammering of his voice and the fact it rose in pitch.

Brooke nodded and watched as the pink on his cheeks darkened. "Strong emotions I can figure out, and it was either jealousy or stress," She remarked, walking up to Jayden. With her platforms, she could easily make eye contact with him and watched as his eyes landed anywhere but her face. "It's okay, Red. It's cute." She reassured him, pressing a chaste kiss to his cheek and then moving to walk away. However, he caught her wrist before she could, and she turned to face him.

"You know what you're doing," Jayden stated, and Brooke's eyes flashed as she quirked a brow.

"Do I?" Brooke teased, feigning ignorance. She enjoyed the way Jayden's cheeks and the tips of his ears were pink, and she wanted to tease him more. However, she knew she had a job to do. "This is fun, but we should go figure out what Ranger Red is doing here." She stated, and he nodded, dropping her wrist.

"Yeah, we should," Jayden agreed, and he felt significantly less jealous- just flustered. Which was fine, it was _much_ better than the irrational jealousy. "Let's go." He urged, the two running to catch up with Kevin and Mike.

* * *

The seven walked through the gates to the Shiba House, Ji looking up from where he was polishing his motorcycle. Brooke still couldn't even fathom _why_ a motorcycle, and it was fitting but not all at the same time. Emily and Mia were still dragging Scott, they had been for the past ten minutes, and the others honestly felt somewhat bad for him. However, their sympathy turned into fear quickly as Mia spoke.

"I'll get dinner started!" Mia chirped, jogging into the Shiba House enthusiastically, and the others, sans Scott because he didn't know what he was getting into, cringed.

Scott was too interested in Ji's bike, the red ranger almost transfixed. "Ooh, I thought you samurai just rode horses. Now that's more like it." He announced, and Ji shot a confused look at Jayden.

"Who's our new friend?" Ji asked, and Jayden's voice was hard when he spoke.

"That's what we're going to go find out," Jayden answered, he and Brooke walking side-by-side as they entered the Shiba House.

Which Emily finally let go of Scott's arm, and Brooke noticed the expression of relief flickering across Mike's face for the moment. Which was amusing, and Jayden seemed to notice it as well. The two shared a look as Scott started inspecting the Shiba House, taken aback.

"What in the world? Uh, you guys really do live a Spartan life, don't you?" Scott nervously laughed, obviously out of his element and overwhelmed. The slight fear and stress were radiating off of him in waves, but he was trying to cover it up with false confidence. "There's no T.V., no video games? Uh, yeah right," He muttered, walking down the hall, and Brooke didn't blame him for being on edge. She was the same way when Jayden first dragged her into the Shiba House. "Interesting. You guys really are all about being old school." Scott summarized, and Kevin seemed almost _offended._

"Old school?" Kevin echoed, narrowing his eyes slightly. "Are you aware at all- that you were _this close_ to cutting off my head?" He scolded, and Jayden let out a quiet sigh, stepping forward and crossing his arms.

"Alright. Scott- cut to the chase. Educate us." Jayden urged, and Emily nodded, her usual cheery smile on her face.

"Yeah, why don't you demorph, make yourself at home, and tell us about yourself?" Emily offered cheerfully, but Scott didn't return the enthusiasm.

"Okay, here to hunt down a robot, his name is Professor Cog. He's looking for a way to wipe out the last of the humans in my dimension," Scott explained, turning his attention to the five other rangers. "To answer your question, I can't demorph, because I don't know if I can breathe the air here. In my dimension, we've been forced to live in a dome city, just to avoid the toxic atmosphere the robots have created," He answered, letting out a sigh and clapping his hands together. "It's been a long day, so I'd appreciate some privacy. Is there somewhere I can go?" He asked, and Jayden nodded slowly.

"Uh, yeah, sure. There's a spare room down the hall to the left." Jayden offered, and Scott nodded.

"Thanks." Scott thanked, walking off, and Emily watched his retreating form with an expression of sympathy.

"Wow, I feel so bad for him." Emily murmured with a small frown on her lips.

Mike, however, was still conflicted. "I still don't trust him. And I don't like the way he looks at you." He stated, and Brooke bit back laughter, her grey eyes sparkling with amusement.

"He's wearing a helmet," Emily pointed out, a small smile growing on her face. "How can you tell?" She wondered, and Mike scoffed, but he was obviously caught off-guard.

"I could just tell," Mike stated matter-of-factly, and Emily just hummed in response, nodding.

With that, Brooke and Jayden broke off from the group, making their way to the outdoor dojo. The pair sat on one of the concrete benches, Amaris also appearing in a flash of silver. The white wolf hopped onto the empty space of the bench, Brooke scooting closer to Jayden so that she could have more space. Not that either of them minded, they enjoyed the feeling of having their sides pressed together, and Brooke felt a warm arm snake around her waist and rest at her hip while Amaris laid on her thigh.

"You think Professor Cog is the one we saw earlier?" Brooke thought aloud, running a hand through Amaris' fur. When Jayden nodded, she sighed, her eyes flashing, her claws and canines growing in as well. "He must want to make some deal with Xandred then." She concluded, and Jayden nearly screamed when he saw Ji's disappointed gaze out of the corner of his eye.

He removed his arm from around Brooke's waist, nearly shooting a glare at his mentor. _We're off-duty,_ Jayden thought bitterly, letting out a heavy sigh as Ji walked away. Glad to know he now had _that_ parenting in his life- though he supposed that he didn't need it before. Still, though, Jayden found it aggravating, and Brooke seemed to notice his frustration, glancing at him and quirking a brow.

"Ji's thinking that I'm getting too close to you. That it's getting in the way of the mission." Jayden answered Brooke's silent question, and her eyes flashed.

She averted her gaze from him, only admiring the silver strands of Amaris' fur. "Oh," Brooke remarked quietly, chewing on her bottom lip. She had forgotten to take that into consideration, and something akin to guilt filled her gut. "I mean- if you need me to… I can, like, leave you alone, I guess. It's okay, I don't want you getting in trouble because of me." She offered, and Jayden's eyes instantly widened, him shaking his head.

"No! I want you around," Jayden blurted, and Brooke turned her attention back to him. "I don't care, really. It's fine, I want you around." He repeated himself for emphasis, and she shook her head with a small smile, turning her gaze to the outdoor dojo.

"Wow, I'm really a bad influence on you, huh?" Brooke was partly joking, a bittersweet smile on her lips. "Like… I dunno, given everything. I didn't exactly make good choices in the past, there's some stuff only Casper knows because I'm ashamed of telling anyone else. Especially you." She laughed weakly, trying to force down the memories of nights she got drunk. The nights with somebody she regrets.

"Hey, it's alright," Jayden reassured Brooke, noticing the fact that her shoulders were shaking slightly. "You're overthinking things, it's okay. You're _Brooke_ , and I wouldn't want anyone else by my side," He murmured, glancing over his shoulder to make sure nobody was watching before wrapping his arm around her waist again. His heartbeat pounded in his chest, and he didn't even know why. He wanted to kiss her, but he knew he _couldn't._ It would break so many rules that he knew he couldn't break. It would break rules he was scared to break, so he just used all his impulse control and the fact that he was scared of getting punished for getting caught. "You mean a lot to me. That's not going to change."

"God, if we weren't in this damn war," Brooke laughed, blinking away tears that formed. "You… you're special. I'm going to leave it at that." She announced, and Jayden laughed quietly, using his free hand to guide her head to his shoulder.

"After the war's over, then?" Jayden remarked with a grin, and Brooke smiled, pink blooming on her cheeks as she rested her head on his shoulders.

"It's cheesy, but yeah. Maybe I'll have my emotions straight by then," Brooke answered, her smile falling. "I gotta deal with Serrator beforehand. I want to be the one to land the finishing blow." She muttered, and Jayden frowned.

He had almost forgotten about that- one appearance and the nighlok had knocked a ranger out of commission for almost a week. "I don't blame you, remind me to give you the black box when the time comes," Jayden spoke softly, and Brooke let out a quiet cheer from where she was resting her head on his shoulder.

"Oh hell yeah, I'm gonna super samurai _kick his ass."_ Brooke cheered, trying to lighten the mood. And it did work because she heard Jayden's quiet laughter. And that was enough for right now.

It was difficult- trying to manage this stupid crush and fight a war. Brooke couldn't deny it, but she knew, once things got hectic again, she'd have to push that to the side. This was a time of peace- as peaceful as it could be, so she just allowed herself to feel things for the time being. She breathed in the smell of smoke and cologne, a smell that she thought she wouldn't label as comforting. But, it was now, and she welcomed it.

That stayed like that for a while, Brooke eventually starting to fall asleep. She felt Jayden rubbing small circles on the back of her hand with his thumb, and she wondered if he knew that was a semi-romantic thing to do, or he was just on autopilot. Knowing him, it could be either-or, and she laughed quietly, one hand buried in Amaris' fur, the other holding Jayden's hand. Who heard her quiet laughter and glanced down at her, a small smile on his face.

"What's funny?" Jayden wondered, and his voice was quiet. It was almost like if he spoke too loud, it would ruin the moment.

"Just thinking," Brooke replied, her voice equally as quiet, and Jayden hummed in response, looking down at their intertwined hands.

"Where are these from?" Jayden asked, running his thumb over the scars on Brooke's knuckles.

"Uh, I don't know, actually," Brooke replied, her eyes flashing. She raised her head from Jayden's shoulder- which he was somewhat displeased about, furrowing her brows as she peered at the scars. "That one's from when I broke a vase… I think. All I know is that they're probably from me just being stupid." She explained, and Jayden opened his mouth to respond, only to see someone out of the corner of his eye.

 _If it's Ji, I'm going to scream,_ Jayden thought to himself and mentally prepared himself for what seemed the umpteenth disappointed look of the day. He glanced over his shoulder to find Emily standing at the doorway, the yellow ranger having a sheepish smile on her face.

"Sorry if I'm interrupting something, but lunch is ready." Emily apologized, and Brooke shot her a warm smile, shaking her head.

"It's all good, Em. Thanks for letting us know," Brooke replied, and Emily nodded with her usual smile, walking back into the Shiba House. "We should probably go get poisoned, then." She stated, letting go of Jayden's hand and pushing Amaris' head off of her thigh, standing.

Both the red ranger and the white wolf seemed annoyed at this turn of events, and Brooke smiled genuinely, sticking your hands in her pockets. "Y'know, in the five years I remember of my life, I have not received this much physical affection. Let alone had a leader of a team of power rangers giving it to me." She mused, and Jayden flushed, his cheeks dusted pink.

"You deserve it," Jayden murmured, but then regained his composure. He stood from his seat, Amaris jumping off the bench as well, letting out a quiet sigh. "Let's go see what she's made for us today." He grumbled, referring to Mia's cooking, and Brooke laughed.

"Just don't eat it. That's my best suggestion." Brooke advised as she and Jayden walked back into the Shiba House. Amaris was at her side, per usual, and the two rangers mentally prepared themselves for whatever food they would have to stomach.

* * *

Mia's cooking was almost always bad, and it was just a fact of life at this point. And while her cooking was bad- she also made enough to feed a small army. That's what made it worse, as the others couldn't throw it out without her noticing. Brooke knew she should eat, but her sense of smell did _not_ convey the message that this was good. It was some sort of chicken, and it smelt bitter if that was even possible. Wrinkling her nose, she stabbed the chicken with her fork warily, debating if she should even risk trying to stomach it. She was having a rather good day, and she didn't want some _bitter chicken_ ruining that for her.

"Hey, Amaris," Brooke called quietly to the white wolf, who was laying in the middle of the kitchen on the hardwood floor. "Thoughts?" She wondered, making sure Mia's back was turned and lowering the fork to Amaris' height.

Amaris seemed rather cautious, standing up and padding over to the chicken. The three other rangers sitting at the counter with Brooke- Jayden, Emily, and Mike, watched her with amusement as she sniffed the chicken. Which she instantly had a negative reaction to, her ears flattening to her head and her fur bristling. _"I would not suggest consuming that."_ She advised, trying to be as nice as she could, but violet eyes shone with caution as she eyed the chicken.

"Well, that settles that," Brooke announced, setting her fork on her plate. Amaris padded over, sitting in the space between her and Jayden's stools, and she instantly started petting the wolf. Who was content, her tag wagging slowly. Brooke felt a pair of eyes on her, and grey-gold eyes met blue, her quirking a brow. "What?" She wondered, her eyes flashing, and Jayden just shook his head, a fond smile on his face.

"Nothing," Jayden replied quietly, and Brooke pursed her lips and raised her eyebrows. Still, he said nothing further, only reaching down and petting Amaris as well.

Brooke didn't even have to turn around to know Scott was at the doorway, he smelt like some strange cologne with a hint of gasoline. "Hey, Scott. You coming to join us?" She asked, and he tilted his head to the side.

"How'd you know I was there?" Scott wondered, and Brooke snickered at the shock that made its way into his tone. "Also, a wolf?" He pointed out, eyeing Amaris warily.

"That's Miss Werewolf's thing," Mike announced, clapping Brooke on the shoulder, who shot him a deadpan expression at the nickname. "Don't worry, it took us all awhile to get used to it." He reassured Scott, who nodded slowly.

"And the wolf's Amaris! She's like Brooke's guardian of sorts, and helps us out in battle from time to time." Emily added, and Brooke spun around in her stool so that she was facing Scott.

"She's nice, you can pet her if you want." Brooke offered, and Amaris stood, padding over to Scott. She looked up at him, violet eyes scanning his red helmet, her tail wagging faintly.

"Can he hear you, Amaris?" Mia wondered, setting a large bowl of some kind of noodles on the counter in front of the three. They didn't smell bitter, which was good, but they still didn't smell _appetizing._

Scott seemed to grow even more confused at Mia's question to Amaris, but he still kneeled down and pet the wolf. Who was very happy about this turn of events, meaning she had another person to get attention from. "Hear her?" He echoed, and Amaris' white and silver tail wagged happily.

 _"He does not possess symbol power, but he is also not from here,"_ Amaris speculated, and when Scott made a noise of surprise, she laughed. _"I assume that answers your questions."_ She remarked, her voice and eyes having a hint of amusement to them.

"Huh. Interesting- you're less Spartan than I thought." Scott concluded, directing the statement at Brooke, who performed a mock salute with two of her fingers and spun around in her stool again.

Brooke made eye contact with Jayden, who was almost _scowling._ So, she flicked him in the forehead, her eyes flashing as she stuck out her tongue at him. He rolled his eyes in response, but she could still see the corners of his lips twitch. The crease above his eyebrow also did disappear, so Brooke considered that a win in her book. While she found jealous Jayden somewhat cute- she didn't want him to feel bad. That didn't sit right with her.

Meanwhile, Mike seemed to have one of his "ingenious" ideas, as he stabbed a piece of chicken with his fork. "Here, have some." He offered Scott, holding the fork out, and Emily instantly grabbed his arm.

"Mike, be nice." Emily scolded, her voice barely above a whisper. She glanced at Mia, who was still dividing her full attention to cooking, so the pink ranger didn't see the games her teammates were playing.

"Guess he'd rather starve," Mike muttered, eyeing Scott's retreating form and then returning his attention to his plate. "That _is_ genius though. From now on, when Mia cooks, I'm wearing my helmet." He declared, biting the chicken off of his fork.

Brooke looked down at her plate with a small frown. She was hungry- but she knew Mia's cooking would do more harm than good. And while she didn't want to break into her "running away" stash of protein bars she kept, she realized that she might just have to. Which was annoying, and she let out a quiet sigh, only for her samuraizer to start beeping. Not soon after, the gap sensor went off, the team sprinting into the meeting room.

Ji already had the map up, and the six rangers crowded around the coffee table. "There's no nighlok, but there's a disturbance at the waterfront," He explained, but before anybody could say anything else, they all heard the sounds of a motorcycle engine revving. "He took my bike!" Ji blurted, and Brooke laughed under her breath before turning to Amaris.

 _"I will head back to Sweetbrier, call on me if you need it, my dear."_ Amaris stated, and Brooke nodded, ruffling the fur in between the wolf's ears.

"Thanks, Amaris," Brooke thanked, kneeling down to Amaris' height. _"I love you."_ She thought and watched as the wolf's violet eyes instantly brightened.

 _"I love you too,"_ Amaris replied, her voice only ringing through Brooke's head. The white wolf nuzzled the silver ranger's cheek, then she bounced in place twice, leaping through the air and disappearing in a flash of silver.

Standing upright, Brooke glanced at the map for a moment, her eyes flashing. "I know a way." She answered the team's silent question, and Jayden nodded.

"Rangers, let's go," Jayden commanded, and the six ran out of the Shiba House.

* * *

The six morphed rangers reached the waterfront to find Scott dealing with Professor Cog. Antonio was also present, but he was more confused than anything. "Who is this guy? What's going on?" He questioned, and the six drew their blades.

"Fight now, talk later!" Jayden commanded, and with that, the battle began.

Honestly, Brooke found Professor Cog less scary than Deker. He was slower than the, now deceased, half-human, and that was great. The only thing that was somewhat difficult to deal with was the fact that he was mostly _metal._ Still, they got by, and it was rather easy compared to some of the other nighlok they fought. However, Brooke knew it was only going to get more difficult from here on out.

Blocking one of Professor Cog's swings, in which his arm looked like a screwdriver, Brooke performed an uppercut with her other katana. "So, you're working with Master Xandred, yeah?" She questioned, jumping back and regrouping with Jayden. The samurai silver and red rangers stood side-by-side, settling into fighting stances and readying their swords. Brooke even debated firing off one of the symbol power attacks, but decided against it, as it could just bounce off for all she knew.

"Yes, we have a deal. It involves you and your precious red ranger," Professor Cog answered, and Brooke narrowed her eyes underneath her helmet. _Of course, it did._ She wasn't even surprised, just generally annoyed that now a machine wanted her dead along with countless nighlok. The joys of being a power ranger. "And after you're destroyed, the rest of the human population will be squashed like grapes. _Ask Ranger Red."_ Professor Cog mocked, and Scott let out a growl.

"Shut up, motormouth!" Scott spat, running forward. And that's when things started getting a little more difficult.

The team, plus Scott, all managed to get hit by Professor Cog. The robot managed to make all seven rangers to lose their bearings and charged up some attack, his cog head spinning. _"Electro Turbine!"_ He called, called, and all of the rangers, sans Scott, found themselves on the ground.

Scott seemed fired up, and rather _pissed._ "You're mine, Cog!" He challenged, running forward. He tussled with Professor Cog for a couple of moments, only to be knocked back.

"And these are for you! _Hypnobolts!"_ Professor Cog announced, firing what seemed to be large bullets at Scott. Sparks flew from the red ranger's body when he was hit, and he landed next to Jayden and Brooke on the ground with a groan.

Scott moved to run forward, but Jayden put a hand out, stopping him in his tracks. "Wait, what are hypnobolts? How do you feel?" He questioned, and Scott scoffed.

"Like fighting." Scott spat, rushing into a battle with a yell. However, it was pretty much worthless, as Professor Cog shot out a barrage of hypnobolts. They hit Scott at full force, Brooke didn't even have time to call on Amaris to make a shield before the bullets hit her and Jayden as well.

The force sent the silver and two red rangers hurtling through the air, and they landed hard on their backs. The three all let out groans of pain but regained their bearings quickly as Professor Cog walked over. His footsteps made loud _thunks_ with every step, Brooke realized she underestimated him. He was almost like a mechanical Serrator- and that was terrifying. "You're a pest, Ranger Red. I made a deal to get rid of the samurai rangers, sending you away is a bonus!" Professor Cog exclaimed gleefully, and purple energy started circling his screwdriver arm. The energy shot out, creating some sort of purple portal at the tip of his screwdriver arm.

"A vortex!" Scott blurted, looking at both Brooke and Jayden. "That will send us back to my dimension!" He explained, Brooke really didn't feel like going dimension-hopping. Nor did she really want to.

"You can't escape! _Vector Vortex!"_ Professor Cog called, sending the vortex hurtling towards the silver and two red rangers.

"Look out!" Scott warned, and the three braced themselves for the impact of the vortex hitting them. However, it never came, and Brooke nearly let out a bitter laugh at the sight. Of course, it was the rest of the team that stopped the vortex, it was practically scripted. "They're shielding us!" He pointed out, and then, the vortex exploded.

The force sent the three remaining rangers hurtling over the side of the platform they were fighting on and into the water. Brooke demorphed on impact, her ranger suit and swords disappearing in flashes of silver. The water was _cold-_ much colder than she expected it to be, but it didn't stop her from shifting. The brown wolf emerged from the water, golden eyes falling on Jayden, who had also demorphed, and Scott, who hadn't.

The three said nothing for a moment, and then wolf-Brooke started swimming over to the nearest dock rather quickly. Scott and Jayden watched the brown wolf for a moment, the two red rangers sharing a look of mutual confusion. "Didn't know wolves were such strong swimmers," Scott remarked, and Jayden nodded.

Brooke shifted back so that she could pull herself up on the dock, and she tried to ignore the way her clothes were stuck uncomfortably to her body. Her hair was stuck to her face, and she did not enjoy the way her leather jacket _squelched_ when she offered Jayden a hand. He just looked up at her for a moment, and something akin to anger flickered across his face, but then he shot her a small smile.

"Thanks." Jayden thanked, and Brooke only nodded. Something in her head was screaming at her to _not_ be nice to him, which was strange. Still, she ignored it, taking her hand and helping him to his feet on the dock. The two rangers were soaked, and Brooke was glad she didn't have her phone on her.

Scott made his way over next, and Brooke crouched down, offering him a hand. "Scott, here. Let me help." She offered, and he only looked at her hand and pulled himself up onto the dock himself.

"I don't need your help," Scott declared, getting to his feet quickly. "I'm fine." He spat, walking away from the pair.

For some reason, Brooke felt pissed. At both Scott _and_ Jayden, and that was worrying. They both had done nothing wrong, but her mind was telling her to get angry at the two red rangers. For what, she really didn't even know, and she really didn't like the direction that today was going. She was having a decent day, and then _Scott ruined-_ no. Scott did nothing, and she was usually more level-headed than this, plus she didn't blame the current situation on anyone besides Professor Cog. She knew something was wrong, incredibly so, and Brooke fought back the urge to lose her shit and yell at them both.

 _"Amaris. Something isn't right,"_ Brooke thought, feeling as the water dripped from her clothes and hair as she followed Scott. _"You can read my thoughts, right? They're… they're not normal."_ She added, and Amaris responded without missing a beat.

 _"You are correct in that regard. An outside force is influencing your emotions, and changing your perception of both red rangers. The logical explanation would be the hypnobolts,"_ Amaris explained, and Brooke cursed under her breath. Well, that would make sense, but it wasn't good. She didn't know if she'd wolf out or not due to the irrational anger, and that could lead her to hurt herself- or Scott and Jayden, which was worse. _"I will step in if you start to lose your grip on humanity- and before you do something you regret. There is no need to worry in that regard, I have the ability to take you out of a triggering location."_ Amaris reassured Brooke, who nodded and turned her attention to Jayden.

"The hypnobolts are probably going to start kicking in soon. Just be careful." Brooke warned, and she flinched at the _venom_ dripping from Jayden's voice as he spoke.

"There's no need to follow me around like a pet. I'm fine." Jayden spat, and then he seemed to realize the words that came out of his mouth. He took in Brooke's hurt expression, but braced himself when it turned into one of anger, her eyes narrowing and landing on pure gold.

"Well, maybe if you didn't need to be saved all the fuckin' time, I'd wouldn't have to follow you around!" Brooke growled, her upper lip curling around her fully bared canines, and her claws were fully grown in as well, her fingernails sharp and jagged. Jayden realized this was the first time he's seen her _this angry_ , and the fact it was _at him,_ didn't sit right with him. Well, none of this did, and he bit back an angry remark. He just really hoped their friendship didn't end up in pieces due to Professor Cog.

 _"Brooke,"_ Amaris appeared in a flash of silver, her voice stern. Still, it had a hint of worry to it, and violet eyes shone with concern. _"You are not thinking rationally. Calm down."_ She demanded, and Brooke's eyes flashed, her claws and canines shrinking again.

"Shit," Brooke muttered, running a clawed hand over her face. "I'm sorry, Red- I… I'm sorry." She mumbled, and Jayden offered her a small smile.

"It's alright," Jayden reassured Brooke, who just averted her gaze. He had a feeling it was only going to get worse from here, and the two walked in uncomfortable silence. He would honestly take the irrational jealousy over the irrational anger- as one didn't lead to him yelling at his childhood crush for no reason.

The three rangers ended up sitting on some logs near the edge of the dock, all just going over what just happened as the sun dried their clothes- and ranger suit. Brooke was worried, extremely, because she didn't want to say anything hurtful to Jayden. Or Scott, because she knew the red ranger was trying his best. Still, she didn't voice her worries aloud, only drawing her knees to her chest. Part of her brain wanted Jayden to hold her, and the other part was making her hate him. Brooke didn't know which one was worse as her hair dried and fluffed up again. Amaris had disappeared, as she couldn't be in public places since, one, she was a _wolf,_ and two, because she was a strangely colored wolf on top of that. Still, she was present in Brooke's mind, soothing the silver ranger to the best of her abilities.

Scott was the first one to break the silence, after almost twenty minutes of the three just being consumed by their thoughts. "Your team, they sacrificed themselves for us." He pointed out, and Brooke nodded.

"They like doing that. It's a bad habit of theirs." Brooke replied, her voice quiet, and her claws sunk into the log underneath her. She actually had to _think_ about each word before she said it, just so she didn't say something mean and start a fight.

"They protect us because they think we're the keys to stopping Master Xandred," Jayden added. He didn't mention the fact that he actually was lying to their faces- that Brooke was the only one present who could stop Xandred. His blue eyes landed on her damp figure, and she was absentmindedly picking at some of the bark on the log she was sitting under. She was so _nonchalant-_ and Jayden found it annoying. He wanted her to actually take things- no. That wasn't right at all, and he silently apologized to Brooke, even though he said nothing. _God, this is going to be difficult._

Meanwhile, Scott let out a laugh. "Ohh," He teased, turning so he could face the pair, who had their backs towards him. "Wow, you two are pretty full of yourselves, aren't you?" He wondered, and Brooke bit back a growl.

Jayden, however, was calmer than she was. "No, it's not like that," He stated, and then he turned to face Scott, his eyes narrowing. "And before you make judgments, take a look at yourself." He snapped, and Scott, surprisingly, didn't get mad. All three rangers were obviously fighting _against_ the hypnobolts, usually just staying quiet so they didn't say something they'd regret.

"Hey, Scott. Do you think Professor Cog sent our team to your dimension?" Brooke asked, referring to the samurai rangers.

"That's a safe bet," Scott answered, his gaze transfixed on the horizon. "But if they're there, my team will help them." He added, and the three just sat in silence again.

* * *

When the trio reached the Shiba House, things started going to shit, for lack of a better term. The hypnobolts had finally fully kicked in, and that started countless arguments between Jayden and Scott, mostly. Brooke was just having conversations with Amaris to keep herself sane, but the two red rangers' bickering was starting to get on her nerves. Still, she just stayed quiet for the most part, her clawed hands curled into fists and shoved into the pockets of the, now damp, leather jacket she wore. _That_ was what she was pissed about- it seemed like whenever she wore Casper's jacket, she involuntarily went swimming in _some_ body of water. How the leather wasn't ruined yet was surprising, and Brooke knew if the jacket or her doc martens got wrecked, she _would_ start a fight. Hypnobolts or no.

Jayden practically crashed through the double doors of the Shiba House, his shoes tapping on the wooden floors as he power-walked. It was easy to tell he was _pissed_ , his jaw set, and blue eyes sparkling with fury. Brooke and Scott trailed behind him, Brooke just letting him do his thing. She knew she couldn't calm him down without starting a fight.

"Jayden, Brooke," Ji greeted, but his tone turned into one of confusion when he noticed that there were only three rangers. "Where's the rest of the team?" He wondered, and Jayden honestly sounded like a moody teenager. The tiny part of Brooke's brain that wasn't telling her to hate them found it amusing.

"Sucked through a vortex, probably to where this guy came from." Jayden spat, and Scott was far less angry than he was- more annoyed than anything.

"Yeah, well, it's their fault. They got in the way." Scott retorted, walking past Jayden. Brooke was just leaning against a wall away from them both, tapping her foot on the ground. Her annoyance spiked, and she grit her teeth, biting back the urge to yell at them.

"No, they saved us!" Jayden argued, and his voice was louder than Brooke's heard it before. She flinched, but her fear turned to anger.

"Will you two be quiet?" Brooke growled, her inhumane features growing in.

Which Scott seemed to notice, and he let out a mocking laugh. "You're really trying to make yourself look intimidating, huh? Well, you're not fooling anyone here, so I'd say drop the act." He mocked, and spots decorated Brooke's vision for a moment. When she came to, she had lifted Scott off of his feet, breaking into a sinister grin.

"Do you really want to play this game, _Ranger Red?_ Because I'm down for a little fun," Brooke sneered, her eyes blazing gold and having the front of Scott's ranger suit in a tight grip. "I can assure you, that this isn't an act. I'll prove it to you by kicking your ass, if you want." She threatened, and Jayden snapped out of his haze for a moment.

Taking in the scene, blue eyes widened, and Jayden shot a look at Ji. They both wanted to go over there and stop Brooke- but who knows how she would react to that. Luckily, Amaris was their saving grace, the white wolf appearing with her ears flattened to her head. _"Brooke, that's enough!"_ Her voice was stern as it rang in the four's heads, and it seemed to snap Brooke out of her thoughts.

Her eyes flashed, and she set Scott down, her inhumane features shrinking somewhat. Brooke said nothing, only storming off silently and letting the red rangers argue. She knew she needed to find a way to reverse this, and she made her way to her room. Flicking on the light, she shut the door behind her and Amaris, instantly sitting down at her desk and flipping through her notebook. Amaris hopped on her bed, the white wolf laying down and keeping her violet eyes trained on Brooke.

"Thanks for stopping me," Brooke mumbled around her canines as she took a pen out of the cup holder on her desk. She grabbed the archive that was about symbol power off the stack, flipping it open and scanning the pages.

 _"Of course, my dear. It is part of my role as a protector- I protect the others around you as well."_ Amaris replied, her tail wagging slowly and rustling the white comforter and grey blanket that were on Brooke's bed.

Both of Jayden's clothes that she owned- his flannel and his hoodie, were on her bed as well, and something in Brooke's mind was telling her to return them. Which was _stupid,_ and even despite the hypnobolts, she planned to keep them. Not being around Jayden or Scott helped her keep a level head, so she planned to stay in her room until she found a symbol that could work.

Thirty minutes later, she eventually did. Brooke let out a quiet cheer, setting her pen down and turning to Amaris. "Hey, can you hit me with this? Worst-case scenario I'll get Red to do it once he _doesn't_ want to start arguments." She asked, setting the archive in front of the white wolf. Who peered down at it, her ears flicking as she sat up.

 _"I am able to,"_ Amaris answered, sitting on her haunches. She closed her eyes, and not long after, 逆, the symbol for reverse, appeared in front of her in a mix of purple and silver. Somehow, she also activated the symbol, which hit Brooke head-on.

She instantly felt better, any anger or resentment she felt disappearing. "Thanks." Brooke thanked, grabbing her samuraizer and the archive, leaving her room. She was hoping that Scott and Jayden hadn't killed each other yet, and Amaris padded beside her. However, when she heard Scott's voice, she stopped in her tracks.

"...And why don't you just take your little _werewolf girlfriend_ and go somewhere else!" Scott spat, and Brooke just stood in place for a moment, letting the statement sink in.

 _Werewolf girlfriend._ Well, that's new- but she didn't really _mind,_ and part of her just wanted to wait for Jayden's response. But, Brooke knew she shouldn't let the two red rangers fight for any longer, so she just shook her head with a small smile. She made her way to the meeting room to find Ji at his wit's end, and she flipped open her samuraizer quietly, activating the brush portion. Scott and Jayden were too caught up in their argument to see her draw the symbol, Jayden obviously caught off guard by the "werewolf girlfriend" comment, as his eyes widened slightly before narrowing again.

"She's not my-" Jayden started, but was cut off by Brooke, who had finished drawing the symbol in the air.

 _"Symbol Power: Reverse!"_ Brooke called, activating the symbol, and it hit the two red rangers, successfully snapping them out of their hazes from the hypnobolts. The two obviously seemed taken aback, as silence fell over the pair as they regained their bearings, Jayden being the first. Blue eyes met grey, Brooke having a triumphant smile on her face as she shut her samuraizer. "Glad to see everyone's back to normal." She announced, clapping her hands together once.

"...Right. Thanks, Silver." Scott thanked, and Brooke waved a hand in dismissal, walking into the meeting room and taking her usual seat.

"We should probably go over what in the fuck just happened, and why Professor Cog wanted us to hate each other," Brooke announced, and Jayden nodded.

With that, the pseudo meeting began, the silver and two red rangers sitting around the coffee table as they threw out speculations at each other. Amaris was curled up on one of the cushioned seats, her presumably falling asleep. Brooke found that cute, and she stroked the top of her head as she chimed in here and there. It was nice to look at her childhood friend and not be filled with irrational hatred, and Jayden seemed to feel the same way.

"Could he have wanted us to kill each other?" Scott thought aloud, Brooke and Jayden blinking at him owlishly. "During the battle, Cog said that he and Xandred had a deal to get rid of you two. It would be much easier for him if we all ended up killing each other." He explained, and Jayden nodded.

"We'd be doing the nighlok's job for them," Jayden added, leaning forward with his hands intertwined.

"Well, what about the next battle?" Brooke wondered, her eyes flashing. "We probably shouldn't let him know that we figured his plan out right away. We still have the upper hand right now," She mused, tapping her foot on the floor. "I'm thinking that we should almost _act_ like we're still under the hypnobolts when Professor Cog shows himself again. Then at the last moment, we can sweep the rug out from underneath him, so to speak." She offered, scanning Jayden's face and Scott's helmet. They didn't seem displeased about the idea, which was good, and after a couple of moments, the two red rangers nodded.

"It's a sound plan," Scott agreed, turning his attention to Jayden. Who was silent for the most part, his brows furrowed. "What? Don't be getting cold feet now." He teased, and this time there was no malicious undertone. It was all friendly.

Jayden shook his head with a small smile. "No, I'm not. I'm just thinking about the fact that we have to fight each other." He confessed, and Brooke perked up.

"I have an idea, it's just going to take some of my symbol power," Brooke announced, breaking into a grin. This was going to be _fun._

* * *

After explaining her plan to Scott and Jayden and making all the preparations, Brooke stood in the outdoor dojo, dressed in her training uniform. Her open samuraizer was in her hand, the brush portion flipped as she took a deep breath and shook out the tension from her muscles. She always had to mentally prepare herself when working in the despair symbol, so she didn't just give up right away. It wasn't that late, actually, and Scott was out riding Ji's motorcycle, much to the older man's dismay. Brooke didn't know what Jayden was doing, and they haven't talked much since the hypnobolts incident. Which was fine, she let him have his space, and she also knew he'd come out sometime tonight.

"Werewolf girlfriend," Brooke muttered to herself, starting to draw the cage symbol. "God, I wish. _Despair!"_ She activated the symbol, and this time she was prepared for the explosion. She was sent tumbling backwards, but she quickly rolled over her shoulder and hopped onto her feet again. Brooke found herself grinning at that, and the hope that tonight wouldn't be so bad made itself present.

That hope got crushed an hour in. The explosions were somehow getting more powerful, and Brooke now had _wood burn_ from skidding on the wooden part of the outdoor dojo so many times. Scott had returned to find her picking herself off of the ground and muttering curses under her breath- and he just let her be. He didn't know what was going on, and he didn't necessarily _want_ to know. He just walked into the Shiba House as Brooke hit the ground again in a flash of silver.

Pain flared from her back and arms, and Brooke resisted the urge to scream after she hit the ground again. It wasn't even the headache that was bothering her or the pain, it was the _symbol itself._ It was difficult and draining, both mentally and physically. Still, it needed to get done, so Brooke just picked herself up off of the ground with a grunt. Picking up her samuraizer, she drew the symbol again- the symbol that wanted to make her claw her eyes out, activating it. She got sent to the ground again, and the cycle repeated itself for almost another hour.

Brooke knew she shouldn't overwork herself, as she had a battle to fight tomorrow, but it was almost an _addiction._ It was a self-destructive tendency that she couldn't shake, even when she was back in school. Back then it was honors, AP, and DE classes, and she was almost swamped with work every night, and now it was the cage symbol. The cage symbol was just more harmful- as it caused physical pain on the regular. It was still the same cycle, and Brooke let out a heavy sigh as she stared at the night sky.

Sometimes she wondered what it would be like if she was mentally stable. She knew she'd probably be in bed if she was, because that's presumably what Scott and Jayden were doing. Amaris was also _somewhere,_ and Brooke _knew_ that the white wolf was flickering due to her running out of symbol power. This was a repeating pattern, one that happened almost every night, when Jayden wasn't up for night training. Which was fine, he had an important job to do and she didn't want him to be overworked. Brooke wanted him to be happy.

"Figured you'd be out here," Jayden greeted, not surprised to see Brooke laying on her back in the outdoor dojo. It had become predictable. "How's it going?" He asked, couching next to Brooke as she forced herself to an upright position.

Her body _didn't_ like that at all- and as if on cue, her nose started bleeding. "Well, you can probably guess," Brooke muttered, wiping the blood off her face and onto the pants of her training uniform. Once the smell of blood cleared, she knit her brows as a different scent filled her nose. It wasn't bad, it was just some sort of _spice-_ with a hint of smoke. It was Jayden, but not the scent she was used to. "This is going to sound weird, but, did you change your cologne or something? You smell different." She wondered, and he knit his brows, realization then dawning on his face.

"I forgot about your sense of smell, you caught me off guard," Jayden laughed, sitting next to Brooke. Not close enough to suggest anything bad- because he was sure Ji would just _appear_ if that happened. "But, to answer your question, I did. Got sick of the old one, but I'm surprised you picked up on it so fast." He answered, and Brooke's eyes flashed as she resisted the urge to just _sniff_ him.

"You smell like Casper does- but with smoke. That's how I can pick your scent out so easily, it's always the smoke, but it's not like, cigarette smoke. It's smoke from a fire, which makes sense, given you're the red ranger and all. But, it's nice. You smell _comforting_ if that makes sense… I'm rambling, aren't I?" Brooke cut herself off, and when Jayden nodded, she let out a groan, flopping on her back. Her face burnt in embarrassment, as she realized she just talked about what Jayden _smelt like,_ with him sitting next to her. "Sorry, and I know that's a kinda weird topic, I didn't mean to provide an analysis on what you smelt like." She apologized, her voice quiet as she inwardly screamed- _out of all things._ His _scent,_ and she told him it was _comforting_.

"It's alright, it's interesting, honestly," Jayden reassured Brooke, peering down at her and watching as she had her mini-crisis. "What'd I smell like before?" He wondered, and that was a question he'd never thought he would find himself asking. Though he never thought that he'd be listening to his childhood friend talk about how he smelt- and interested in it.

"Like a forest- but with the smoke," Brooke answered, mumbling some. "It was _clean,_ kinda crisp I guess? This one's warmer, but they're both comforting." She added, her eyes flashing as Jayden wore a small smile. It was an indirect compliment, and he enjoyed being called comforting.

"I'm glad you're comfortable with me around." Jayden murmured, brushing some of Brooke's hair away from her forehead. She just stared up at him for a couple of moments, processing what he said- and the fact that he was _warm._

"Well… yeah, we're friends," Brooke replied, but it was clear that she didn't know how to react. She wanted Jayden to hold her- and not let go. Still, she didn't voice that out loud, only sitting up and wearing a small grin. "Surprised Ji hasn't, like, appeared and been disappointed in us yet." She joked, lightly nudging Jayden's shoulder with her own.

Who let out a groan, rolling his eyes. "Don't remind me," Jayden grumbled, and he did _not_ like the look of mischief on Brooke's face. "What're you planning now, Brooke? You have that look on your face." He questioned, and she waved her hand in dismissal.

"I mean, two people who are alone in the dark _is_ kinda suspicious." Brooke joked with a grin, and Jayden rolled his eyes, heat rushing to his face. He knew about the implications of what she was saying, and it made him flustered. He didn't even know why.

"Brooke," Jayden started, and Brooke quirked a brow at him, her eyes flashing. "I- I… you know what, nevermind. Goodnight." He stammered, pressing a kiss to Brooke's forehead, leaving the outdoor dojo before she could really process what was going on.

 _Well._ Brooke didn't know what just happened, but it was almost amusing. She's never seen Jayden so embarrassed before that he just… left. Letting out a quiet laugh, grey-gold eyes landed on her samuraizer, and her mood instantly dropped. She still had work to do.

* * *

The next morning, Brooke, Ji, and Jayden were crowded around the coffee table, the map of Panorama opened on it. Brooke was standing next to Jayden, and he smelt _nice_ , the new cologne he was wearing was almost intoxicating. At least for her, and she really didn't know what that was about. Still, she wasn't really complaining, but shook those thoughts out of her head and focused on the task at hand. She was a soldier- and soldiers usually don't focus on things like the cologne their leader was wearing. She needed to focus, especially _now._ The plan was about to start, and Brooke knew she had to act like she hated Jayden. No matter if he smelt nice or not.

"An army," Brooke blurted, her eyes flashing as her claws and canines grew in. _"This_ is probably what Xandred and Professor Cog are going to send to take over Panorama." She concluded, and Jayden nodded. She also memorized the location on the map- it was up a mountain, but it was one of the easier ones to climb, plus, she could cut through the woods, and that would fit her time down by half.

When Scott strolled up, the plan was in motion. He glanced at the map, taking in the location and seemingly getting into character. "Piece of cake," He announced, then glancing at the two other rangers. "Oh, for _me,_ at least. For them, I'm not so sure." He mocked, and Brooke was already almost out of the Shiba House.

 _"Amaris, can I run that distance without it exhausting me?"_ Brooke thought as she flipped open her samuraizer and activated the brush portion, starting to draw the familiar symbol.

 _"You have the ability to."_ Amaris confirmed, and Brooke grinned.

 _Excellent._ She activated the symbol, the silver ranger suit materializing on her body as she reached the outdoor dojo. Brooke knew Scott and Jayden would have to take the long way, and she broke into a sprint, crashing through the wooden gates. She saw a flash of red, which was most likely Jayden summoning a horse, but then turned her attention to the woods. Her bones cracked and popped, and she shifted, the brown wolf crashing through the underbrush and running into the woods. As she ran, she heard the faint sounds of Ji's motorcycle, which Scott was presumably riding, but it soon became out of earshot.

She forgot how much she missed _this._ Claws sunk into the soft topsoil as wolf-Brooke ran through the woods, easily jumping over fallen logs and dodging holes. Her senses made everything more enjoyable, her golden eyes shining bright as she navigated the woods with ease, recalling times when she ran this path for fun. She also knew both Scott and Jayden had the advantage of speed- but she could make shortcuts in terrain that was not navigational for horses, let alone motorcycles. Running through the woods always got her adrenaline pumping, and she was sure just to use the energy that she reserved for shifting. She didn't want to wear herself out before the battle even began, after all.

She burst through the woods, planning to just run straight across and make a beeline up the mountain, but was amused to find Scott and Jayden just making their way up. The two red rangers spotted the brown wolf as she sprinted across the path and disappeared back into the woods, fluffy brown and white tail flying behind her. It was when the game began, a race between a wolf, a horse, and a _motorcycle._ Brooke also knew she could use Amaris- but that seemed almost like cheating, so she planned to use it as a last resort.

Not that she _planned_ to fall behind the two red rangers, that wasn't an option here. Brooke also needed more things to tease Jayden with, so beating him and his horse in a race seemed like an excellent idea. Speaking of, she eventually saw him in the woods- well, _heard_ him. It was the sound of the horse's hooves on the ground, and it sounded almost _menacing,_ so she picked up the pace, not bothering to look behind her. She knew Jayden wouldn't hit her, but wolf-Brooke didn't stay around long. Once she surveyed her surroundings, she changed courses, heading further into the woods. Her plan to just make a straight path up was working incredibly well, and there were little obstacles, even if she was somewhat climbing up the mountainside.

And it worked flawlessly. Brooke shifted back when she reached the top of the mountain, unsheathing her Wolf Kunai and instantly hopping into battle with some moogers and grinders. She had won the race- even with the speed disadvantage, and she felt rather proud of herself for doing so. She was wearing a grin underneath her helmet, and it only grew wider when Jayden, then Scott, made their way to the battlefield.

"You're both late!" Brooke mocked, cutting down one last grinder and then turning to the two red rangers. "I'm surprised, really. Aren't the red rangers supposed to be the "high and mighty" ones?" She snickered, spinning her kunai in her hand. While Jayden stayed quiet at her taunts, they egged Scott on, making him "angry". Obviously, it was all acting, but Professor Cog didn't know that just by watching the three.

"This is my battle!" Scott declared, his hands curling into his fists at his sides for a moment. Then he quickly drew his blaster, pointing it at Brooke, who was nonchalant about the whole thing, throwing her kunai up in the air and catching it. "This is my fight- and mine _alone._ Just go back to your dojo with those swords of yours. They're useless, and so are you two." He spat at the silver and red rangers, and with that, the mock battle began.

"Useless, huh? You'll be useless, lying dead on the ground before me!" Brooke threatened, catching her Wolf Kunai, and, without missing a beat, throwing it like a throwing knife at Scott. It barely grazed his helmet- as she had missed on purpose, and she drew her katanas as her kunai reappeared back in its sheath on her hip in a flash of silver.

Honestly, if they weren't acting, Jayden would be worried. As Brooke sounded genuine about her threats and radiated a menacing aura. She had one katana pointed at Scott, who had his blaster locked on her, and the other at Jayden, who had his spin-sword pointed at Scott. The three rangers were obviously hesitating, thinking things over on how they wanted the battle to go. They obviously didn't want to hurt each other and weren't planning to, but they still had to make it seem convincing.

 _"Destroy each other!"_ Professor Cog commanded, and Scott hesitated for a moment, but then fired at Brooke.

Amaris put up a shield to protect Brooke from some of the shots, and she wasted no time, ducking behind moogers and grinders as she made her way over to Scott. Jayden was as well, but the two intercepted each other, their blades clashing against each other as they almost _sparred._ It was like training, but they were trying to dodge Scott's shots as well. So it was just training on steroids.

Brooke deflected a shot with one katana and blocked Jayden's strike with another. She also silently thanked him for helping her with her stances, as the swing that would usually make her arms buckle, didn't, and she kicked him away. She made her way over to Scott, and his blaster turned into his Street Saber, blocking her swing. Jayden also joined the fight, the three rangers dodging each other's attacks and returning with their own. Sometimes they just missed each other on purpose, but Professor Cog and the nighlok watching the battle didn't seem to know the difference.

Which was great, and Brooke soon had her katanas hovering in front of Scott and Jayden's throats. "Two against one is hardly fair," She challenged, hopping back when the two rangers swung at her. "I appreciate you two fighting over me though, really boosts my confidence!" She teased, and frankly, it was all just because Brooke found it somewhat fun.

However, it got to the point where it wasn't very fun anymore. Jayden knew Brooke's weak points, and he used them against her, his spin-sword colliding with her side. More forcefully than he meant to, and he felt guilty as she fell to the ground. Brooke had to then block Scott's swing at her as she laid on her back, jabbing with the sword that didn't block his swing. It nicked him in the stomach and caused him to stumble back, and she hopped to her feet quickly. Jayden attacked her again, but she did a backwards handspring, landing a couple feet away from the two red rangers.

"Professor, your hypnobolts worked perfectly!" The nighlok praised as the three rangers ran at each other again.

"Yes, humans are so easy to manipulate!" Professor Cog mocked, and Brooke sheathed her blades and shifted.

The brown wolf lunged, knocking Jayden to the ground with ease. Silently apologizing to him, wolf-Brooke slashed at his chest with her claws, wincing at the number of sparks that flew from her claws coming in contact with her ranger suit. She felt guilty, but it was all part of the plan, and she hopped off of Jayden, shifting back and turning her attention to Scott. As his Street Saber turned back into his blaster, she drew her Wolf Kunai. The two rangers attacked at the same time, and Brooke grit her teeth as the blast came in contact with her chest. It _hurt,_ but presumably less than her kunai being thrown at Scott's chest, where it had made contact.

"Yes, victory!" Professor Cog cheered, and Scott let out a laugh.

"Ha! Not a scratch!" Scott declared, holding Brooke's kunai in his hand. He was unharmed, and so were the other two rangers, Brooke helping Jayden off of the ground.

"You could've held back with the claws, Brooke," Jayden complained, but it was all playful. "But the protection symbol worked great." He reached into his ranger suit, pulling out a small piece of parchment that had the protection symbol written on it in ink.

"Hey, I got shot at too, so all's fair," Brooke retorted, pointing a finger at Jayden, who laughed faintly. "Thanks for the shield, Scott." She thanked, turning her attention to the other red ranger and pulling a necklace off of her neck and dropping it on the ground. It was made out of some sort of steel and had easily absorbed the shot Scott made at her chest.

"Your plan worked perfectly, Silver." Scott praised, taking out a protection symbol paper from his suit as well. He threw the Wolf Kunai back to its owner, Brooke catching it with ease.

She spun the kunai in her hand before sheathing it, shaking out the tension from her muscles. "I try my best," Brooke responded, and she knew it was just the beginning. There was still the nighlok and Professor Cog to deal with, and she and Jayden also had to get their team back.

Scott turned his attention to Professor Cog, his tone mocking. "Nice to see you, Professor Cog! And thanks for treating the fake-out to me." He greeted, pointing to himself with his thumbs.

"Good try with your mind control bolts," Jayden started, he and Brooke walking over to Scott. The silver ranger stood in the middle of the two red rangers, Scott resting his arm on the top of her helmet. "But, you should really _think_ about who you're hitting. Something was off when I realized I was hating my childhood friend for no reason." He stated, glancing at Brooke, who nodded.

"There's a symbol power for everything, so it was easy finding a way to reverse the hypnobolts' effects. It was just a matter of not killing each other in the process," Brooke added, flashing Professor Cog a thumbs up. "It was kinda easy once we all knew what was going on. We're humans, you can't try to reprogram us that easily." She snickered, and Scott nodded. His arm was still resting on the top of her head, and she just let him, sharing a look with Jayden underneath their helmets.

"That's the last time you'll make a fool out of me. Sargent Tread?" Professor Cog threatened, then turning his attention to the nighlok, who let out a grunt.

"Attack!" Sargent Tread commanded the moogers and grinders, the robots and monsters running forward.

The three rangers instantly jumped into battle, cutting down moogers and grinders with ease. The three moved in silent harmony, Scott dealing with most of the grinders while Brooke and Jayden dealt with most of the moogers. It wasn't long until a large number of the robots and monsters were cut down, but Brooke perked at the sound of motorcycle engines. She turned her attention to where the sound was coming from, narrowly dodging moogers on grinders- which had turned into motorcycles. Scott also got hit by one of the mooger-motorcycle combos, him flying through the air.

However, before he could hit the ground, Jayden pulled his samuraizer out of the pouch on his belt, drawing a symbol. _"Symbol Power: Red Pony!"_ He called, activating a symbol.

Brooke's eyes widened underneath her helmet at _"red pony",_ her glancing at Jayden nervously. "Red- if it's a fucking horse- oh." She cut herself off as Scott landed in the driver's seat of a bright red car, which she didn't even know that symbol power _could_ be usedto summon a car of all things.

"Don't worry, I saw how scared you were earlier, when you were running in front of me," Jayden remarked, the two running and jumping on the back of the car.

"Shut the hell up. It was _menacing,_ okay?" Brooke retorted, feeling as she flushed underneath her helmet. Especially as Jayden laughed, and she debated pushing him off the car as Scott started driving.

Brooke didn't, however, and she just focused on cutting down moogers and keeping her balance on the car. Jayden was doing the same, him cutting down moogers on the left as she cut down moogers on the right. Them keeping their balance was pretty easy, as Scott was a good driver, which made sense given the car theme to his ranger suit, and managed to keep the car steady. Even as the car gained speed, Brooke's helmet finally doing one good thing and blocked out the car exhaust.

"You can't outrun us!" Scott taunted, Brooke and Jayden cutting down more moogers as he drove into a group of them.

"I've got it," Brooke reassured Jayden, hopping off of the back of the car and onto a mooger's motorcycle. She cut the monster down and hopped to the next one, the cycle repeating itself three times. There was also a mooger piggyback riding a grinder, but she cut the two down, letting out a quiet cheer. That cheer turned into a noise of surprise when she saw Sargent Tread speeding towards her, the nighlok holding large wheels and using them to propel itself towards her. "Fuck." She muttered under her breath, silently calling on Amaris and getting ready to teleport out of there.

However, it wasn't needed, as Brooke felt a hand around her waist, and she let out a yelp of surprise when she got picked up. However, she soon realized it was Jayden, silently thanking him as she turned her attention to Sargent Tread. She drew her Wolf Kunai, getting ready to throw the weapon, and Scott seemed to have the same idea.

He drew his blaster, holding it out to Jayden from where he was in the driver's seat. "Destroy it," Scott commanded, and Jayden nodded, taking the blaster out of his hand. As he rounded a corner and straightened the car out, Brooke raised her kunai like a throwing knife, and Jayden readied Scott's blaster.

"Time to pop your tires!" Jayden threatened, and Brooke laughed as he fired, throwing her kunai. They both made contact with Sargent Tread, causing the nighlok to lose grip on its wheels and collide with the ground, smoke rising from its body.

Scott instantly stopped the car, the three rangers hopping out of it and onto the ground. "I'll finish it!" He challenged and moved to run forward, only to stop in his tracks when Professor Cog spoke.

"Rangers, it's your turn!" Professor Cog announced, firing off more hypnobolts.

 _"Amaris!"_ Brooke yelled, and the translucent purple shield appeared, blocking the hypnobolts. Which was great, because she didn't feel like fighting with Jayden anytime soon.

Who gave a one-use-only shark disk, and while Jayden went to Super Samurai Mode and Scott went into Shark Attack Mode, Brooke just kind of… stood there. Which was somewhat awkward, but she couldn't even use Shark Attack Mode because of her Wolf Kunai. The weapon couldn't change into the shark zord, but the black box _could_ attach to the kunai. Which was good, as her family was the ones who helped make the talisman, and she just hoped she got the black box soon. Brooke wanted to feel the burst of power the others claimed to feel when they went into Super Samurai Mode. Most importantly, she wanted to _destroy Serrator_ in Super Samurai Mode, just to shut the nighlok up, for the most part.

"Brooke! Can you handle Sargent Tread?" Jayden asked, and Brooke nodded, readying her katanas.

"On it!" Brooke replied, and while the two red rangers ran towards Professor Cog, she ran towards Sargent Tread. Leaping into battle with a yell, she landed a strong downwards strike on the monster.

The move she had used was one of Jayden's staple ones, and he noticed this, wearing a small smile underneath his helmet. As he and Scott sent Professor Cog flying backwards, Brooke did the same to Sargent Tread, the nighlok and robot landing next to each other on the ground, smoke rising from their bodies. The silver ranger regrouped with the two red rangers, and the trio snapped their heads towards the sky.

Brooke's eyes winded underneath her helmet as her senses went haywire at the amount of power that was buzzing in the air. Her first thought was Serrator, and she went to call out a warning. However, it wasn't needed, as a vortex opened in the sky. The six samurai rangers appeared from it, the team lining up in their usual line, with Brooke on one side of Jayden and Scott on the other.

"So, you missed us?" Mike greeted, and Jayden nodded.

"Like you wouldn't believe," Jayden replied, and Mike laughed at that. It honestly felt good to have the team back, and while Jayden enjoyed his time alone with Brooke- the dojo was empty without the six others. Even if they were nosy and bad at eavesdropping, he had missed them.

Emily ran up to Scott, the yellow ranger patting the red on the shoulder. "Scott, your team says hi!" She remarked, and he laughed faintly.

"Let's deliver the final act!" Brooke cheered, and Jayden nodded, motioning for the eight rangers to run forward. The two red and silver rangers landed the finishing blows on Professor Cog, striking their victory poses as he and Sargent Tread blew up.

Once the nighlok and robot were defeated, Scott and Jayden went out of Shark Attack and Super Samurai Mode, leaving the two red rangers in their traditional suits. Brooke was instantly crowded by Mia and Emily, the silver ranger making a noise of surprise at the sudden attention.

"You have to tell us everything later!" Mia urged, and Emily nodded.

That caused Brooke to furrow her brows underneath her helmet, then she pieced it together. _Jayden._ Of course, they would think something would've happened, even though nothing did happen. The only thing that she did was make a suggestive innuendo, and that just had made him embarrassed. "Nothing happened, but alright." Brooke sighed, glancing at Jayden, and he instantly shifted his attention elsewhere when the two made eye contact through their helmets. He was like a grade-schooler, and it was cute.

"Now it's time for us to fight the real battle. Get ready, rangers." Jayden advised, the team forming their line again. There was an _army_ of moogers, even giant ones, in front of them, and they outnumbered the eight one hundred to one. Still, they didn't falter, even when the moogers started charging at them. "Time to call in the calvary." He announced, and Brooke nearly screamed as she landed on a war horse behind him.

Cursing Jayden with every word she could come up with, Brooke was glad her gloves were thick enough so that her claws couldn't poke through them. Because they were fully bared, and so were her canines, giving her a lisp as she spoke. "For what purpose did you do this?" She questioned Jayden, wrapping an arm around his waist tightly so that she didn't fall off. He didn't even smell good anymore- it was just mostly sweat and smoke. Which was annoying, as she was now stuck riding a horse, just praying for dear life that Jayden didn't let her fall off.

"It's alright, you won't fall," Jayden reassured Brooke, his voice quiet, and she grumbled something underneath her breath. He enjoyed the feeling of the hold she had on him, and then inwardly kicked himself for it. _Now wasn't the time._ Regaining his composure, Jayden urged the horse forward, Brooke letting out a yelp. "Red Ranger, ready!" He called, and four of the five others did their calls as well.

Noticing that it was her turn to speak, Brooke let out a heavy sigh. "Silver Ranger, uh, ready!" She stammered, and when Jayden laughed quietly, she let out a growl. "If I'm going down, you're going down with me. Keep that in mind." She threatened, drawing a katana and sweeping it like a scythe, cutting down moogers.

"I'm sorry." Jayden apologized, but Brooke could tell he wasn't actually sorry at all. There was a hint of amusement to his voice, and _oh did she_ want to send him to the ground. However, they would instantly get assaulted by moogers, so she didn't. The wish was still there, though.

"Shut up and fight, Jayden," Brooke grumbled, tightening her hold on Jayden. She swept her katana out, more moogers falling with squeals, and he did the same with his spin-sword.

"Hey, at least you're facing your fear," Jayden remarked cheekily, and Brooke didn't say anything in response. He could almost _feel_ the fear and annoyance that was radiating off of her body, and the hand that was holding onto him _was_ shaking. That actually made him feel guilty- and he made the note to do something to make up for it.

The pair stopped in front of two spitfangs- which were a bluish-purple, and Brooke tensed when she felt her senses perk. _"Amaris!"_ She called, her voice cracking, the translucent purple shield appearing, and blocking the spitfangs' attacks.

Blue shots also hit the spitfangs, Kevin wielding his Hydro Bow as he stopped beside Brooke and Jayden. "Go get General Gut, and leave this to us!" He urged, and Jayden nodded.

"You got it," Jayden responded and felt as Brooke's grip tightened as the horse galloped through the army of moogers. "It's almost over." He reassured her, and she grit her teeth underneath her helmet.

"Y- yeah. The fighting's- the fighting's the easy part," Brooke agreed, stuttering, and her fully grown in canines sunk into her bottom lip. It hurt, but she couldn't will them away. Even when she and Jayden hopped off of the horse, to her relief. Taking a deep breath and regaining her composure, she drew her second katana. "We're here for you, General!" She challenged, putting on the mask of false confidence to hide her fear.

General Gut lived up to his name, as he had a large, well, _gut,_ and some shoulder armor. He was tall, taller than both Brooke and Jayden, and wielding an ax-staff. "Red and silver rangers, the invasion can't be stopped. Why don't you surrender now?" He mocked, and the two rangers readied their swords.

"You don't know us very well, nighlok." Jayden retorted, and with a discreet nod to Brooke, the two rangers ran forward.

It was tough, Brooke couldn't deny it. General Gut presumably had super strength, and he swung at her. It was an attack that should've been easily blocked, but the kickback sent her skidding backwards. Still, she managed to stay on her feet and rushed into battle again, dodging Jayden's Fire Smasher and General Guts swings. Eventually, she got hit, and it sent her crashing to the ground, her katanas flying out of her hands. Smoke rose from her body, and her arms shook as she tried to push herself up. It was pretty much useless, and Brooke's warning call died in her throat.

Jayden, who had gotten kicked back and then stunned by General Gut, had to endure one of the nighlok's swings head-on. His Fire Smasher turned into his spin-sword in a flash of red, landing tip-first in the dirt. Smoke rose from his body, and he clutched his chest, making a noise of pain.

"Hah! I'm glad you decided to face me two to one," General Gut sneered, Brooke and Jayden struggling to pick themselves off of the ground. "The great leader of the samurai rangers and his right-hand woman shouldn't fall to just _anyone._ It's only fitting that you two fall to me, a _truly great_ leader." He stated proudly, and Brooke was surprised to find Amaris appearing beside her.

 _"Get up my dear, we still have the battle to fight,"_ Amaris commanded, but her voice was soft, still holding its motherly tone.

"Am I in peril?" Brooke groaned, but she gathered enough strength in her arms to push herself up. Her body screamed in protest, but she slowly stood up, wincing at the pain in her muscles. Her legs throbbed- and all of the running around finally got to her.

 _"No, you are not. However, as I am a protector, so are you. You assigned yourself that role a long time ago,"_ Amaris answered, and Brooke nodded slowly. That made sense, and now would be the time where she had to fulfill her role as a protector. _"To cut through General Gut's armor, there is a technique that can be used. It requires a large amount of symbol power, but you are more than capable."_ She explained the attack to Brooke, who drew her Wolf Kunai.

Sliding the wolf and moon disks onto the weapon, Brooke sprinted forward. As General Gut struck downwards to presumably cut Jayden's head off, she blocked the swing. Her arms wavered, but she grit her teeth and stayed strong, Amaris running over to Jayden's side and nudging him to his feet while Brooke managed General Gut.

"Amaris, is- is she alright?" Jayden breathed out, forcing himself to his feet and yanking his spin-sword out of the dirt.

 _"Brooke is just fine, she just needed to find her strength again,"_ Amaris mused, her ears flicking as Brooke kicked back General Gut. Her attacks were stronger now, each strike calculated as she dodged and parried the nighlok's attacks. _"She assigned herself as a protector long ago- and it is her role to fulfill."_ She added, and Jayden nodded.

He didn't really know what that meant fully, but he didn't have the usual feelings when someone protected him. Perhaps this time was different because it seemed _genuine._ It was not because of him being the red ranger- it was because he was Jayden. And that fact alone caused a small smile to work itself onto his face, and he felt a sense of pride fill his chest as Brooke blocked another one of General Gut's swings.

"I'm not letting anyone fall to a nighlok with delusions of grandeur!" Brooke yelled, and she pushed General Gut's ax to the side, bringing her gloved hand up to the two disks on her Wolf Kunai. She spun them, the leaf-shaped blade lighting up a brilliant mixture of silver and purple. "I'm not letting anyone I care about fall! _Wolf Kunai: Night Hunting!"_ She screamed, slashing with her kunai. It left a trail of purple and silver in its wake, and night fell on the battlefield.

The others stopped their fighting and made noises of confusion, especially when silver wolves appeared, glowing in the dark. The wolves' pupilless eyes were a blazing gold, multiple wolves materializing on the battlefield. In unison, all of the wolves raised their heads to the sky, letting out bone-chilling howls that turned bursts of silver energy. The battlefield was illuminated by silver for a moment, but then stopped, all of the moogers being defeated.

"No! I won't see it end this way!" General Gut exclaimed, and a mocking laugh rang out across the battlefield.

Brooke stood in front of General Gut, her Wolf Kunai still glowing as she slowly walked forward, it being the only source of light besides a full moon hanging in the sky. "Don't you get it? I _won't_ fall- I haven't then, and I won't now. I'm ending this show, once and for all!" She vowed, performing an upwards strike that caused General Gut to go up in an explosion, and while he did so, she struck her victory pose, performing a bow.

The sun rose again, and Brooke threw her kunai up in the air, catching it with ease and pointing it at Jayden. "You owe me. For the horseback ride, and now this." She joked breathlessly, and Amaris was flickering from where she stood beside Jayden.

"I know I do, and I'll get back to you on that," Jayden murmured, wrapping an arm around Brooke's shoulders and giving her a congratulatory side-hug. "Team, it's not over!" He called, going into Shark Attack Mode as the team regrouped.

General Gut went into his second form, looming over the team, who soon went into megamode and formed the samurai battlewing megazord. The six performed a flying slash, and the attack quickly finished the nighlok off. Which was strange, and Brooke knit her brows underneath her helmet.

"Something's not right, that was _too easy,"_ Jayden stated, and his statement was confirmed when General Gut reappeared.

"I'm back!" General Gut cackled, and a snake shot out from his stomach. Which was a mix of creepy and disgusting, but Brooke didn't focus her thoughts for very long.

The snake shot out and made contact with the battlewing megazord, which caused sparks to fly and the cockpit to shake. It _also_ caused them to lose three zords, the battlewing megazord turning back into the samurai megazord. Which was annoying, and Brooke changed from the cockpit of the samurai megazord to the cockpit of her wolf zord in a flash of silver. The "low on symbol power" headache was starting to form, but it became secondary.

General Gut wouldn't stop his assault on the samurai megazord and the wolf zord, the six having trouble maintaining their balance. However, Jayden seemed to have an idea, because Brooke heard him yell through the comms, and she watched as the shark zord disengaged. It bit the snake off of General Gut's stomach, and the five original rangers formed the samurai shark megazord.

"Let's show him what a team can do! Brooke?" Jayden called through the comms, and Brooke took her megablade out of the control panel, unfolding it.

"Yessir. Let's overthrow this leader!" Brooke challenged, spinning her megablade in her hand once and pointing it at the sky.

_"Shark Zord: Slash!"_

_"Full Pack!"_

The two attacks successfully destroyed General Gut, the samurai megazord, and wolf zord striking their victory poses. As they did so, Brooke mouthed along to Jayden's usual finishing line.

_"Samurai Rangers: Victory is Ours."_

* * *

Scott and the six samurai rangers stood in the subway station, which was, apparently, how he dimension hopped. Which made little to no sense, but Brooke didn't question it. She was just happy to be wrapping things up and wanted to take a shower and go to bed. But, she still wanted to wish Scott goodbye, as the second red ranger became almost a friend in the short amount of time they've known each other. So, she just fought back her exhaustion and wore a small smile on her face.

"Okay, well, it's time for me to take the fight back to my own world." Scott declared, holding out a hand. Which Jayden took, the two red rangers shaking each other's hands.

"Thank you, for helping us save the city." Jayden thanked, and Scott laughed.

"No, thank _you._ Look, if Professor Cog had succeeded, my world would've been in big trouble. You guys are pretty good," Scott praised, but soon he was back to being cocky and confident. _"Even if_ you're tragically old school." He teased, and the subway then _dinged,_ signaling it was leaving soon. "Well, it's time to go." He declared, and when the team said their goodbyes and started walking away, he stopped Jayden by grabbing his wrist.

"Everything okay?" Jayden asked, furrowing his brows, and Scott dropped his wrist, wearing a smile underneath his helmet.

"Good luck with her," Scott remarked, motioning to Brooke with a nod. She was laughing at a joke _somebody_ made, revealing her longer canines while her grey eyes sparkled with amusement. Jayden glanced at her then back to Scott, who snickered and tapped his helmet. "Look, I may have the helmet on, but I'm not _blind_. I see the way you two look at each other." He answered Jayden's silent question, who shook his head with a small smile.

Guess it was more obvious than he thought, but Jayden didn't really mind at this point. "Thanks. She means a lot to me." He thanked, and Scott laughed.

"Oh, I can tell," Scott teased, and Jayden rolled his eyes. "Do you love her?" He asked, and Jayden made a noise of surprise, blue eyes widening and heat rushing to his face and the tips of his ears.

He looked back at Brooke, who made eye contact with him, flashing him a smile and a thumbs up. He returned the smile, turning his attention back to Scott. Jayden then sat in his thoughts for a couple of moments before coming to a conclusion, his voice quiet as he spoke.

"Yeah. I do."


	27. little brother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meeting Cody, Brooke realizes she missed her little brother more than she thought. She also has a reunion with Nate- which lasts ten minutes at most and gets stuck in a rampaging bullzord. So, it's just a regular day for Brooke.

The six made their way out of the subway station, and Brooke stood at the top of the stairs for a moment. She let Jayden catch up to her, who wore a small, but genuine, smile. "You're slacking, Red." She teased, and he rolled his eyes, the two jogging up to the other four rangers. Mia and Emily shot Brooke a knowing look, which she responded to by shaking her head.

Other than that, the team was going about their usual after-battle banter, and Brooke wasn't really paying attention to it. Her legs _throbbed,_ and she wanted nothing more to change her shoes, at least. Her doc martens were starting to hurt her feet, and she raised her arms over her head, letting out a yawn as she stretched. _Something_ cracked, and it felt good, Brooke making a quiet noise of relief.

Which Jayden heard, and he nudged her shoulder with his own. "Tired?" He wondered, and Brooke shot him a weary smile.

"That, and sore. My body did not like running up that mountain," Brooke answered, but then she pointed a finger at Jayden, who raised his eyebrows. "But, I beat you on your horse, so take that." She mocked, and Jayden shook his head with a small smile.

"I had a feeling you would bring that up." Jayden retorted, and Brooke nodded, snickering. The words he told Scott rang in his head, and he realized he was _happy._ He was sore and his arms throbbed, but he was happy. He just hoped Brooke realized that _she_ made him happy.

"Oh, yeah, Brooke destroyed a whole army today!" Mike recalled with a grin, glancing at Brooke. Who looked somewhat surprised at the sudden attention, her eyes a grey-gold.

"That was an incredible use of symbol power. I've read about it in the archives, using two power disks on the same weapon, but I didn't think it was possible. How'd you manage it?" Kevin questioned, but there was something akin to awe in his tone.

Brooke raised her eyebrows, her eyes flashing. "Amaris just told me it," She responded nonchalantly, shrugging. "I technically do have more symbol power than you guys- so it was just that and spite. I didn't feel like watching Red die, so that's that." She added, glancing at Jayden, who wore a fond smile.

With her answer, the team just went back to having a light-hearted conversation. It was something about Scott's team, so Brooke and Jayden didn't really pay attention to it. They didn't talk to each other, just basking in each other's company without hating each other. Brooke took the time to sort her thoughts, because, while she didn't work on the despair symbol today, and she wanted to, she was too low on symbol power to get anywhere. And while the battle they just fought was exhausting, it was a good experience, and the soreness of her muscles meant growth. She knew she had to get stronger- that and the despair symbol were always the main tasks. But, for now, Brooke just let herself be _proud_ of herself.

Compared to when she first joined the team, she had improved exponentially, in a lot of things. First was her training, obviously, as spending months fighting constant battles and training almost every day would lead to improvement. The second thing was herself. More importantly- her mental health. Brooke knew she wasn't _mentally stable,_ but she felt better than she did living at Mary's. She felt like she had a purpose- and she couldn't get drunk anymore, which was a plus. She used to drink to shut off her wolf senses and be human, but now she felt _somewhat_ human. Being able to be herself and not having to constantly worry about giving her wolf features away was great. Having six people to talk to- two of those being her childhood friends, made it even better.

The third was _Jayden, which of course it was._ Brooke couldn't really work her feelings out with him, or at least not with her jeopardizing the team and her friendship with him. But, even if she was just left pining over him- it was a good feeling, in a way. He was special compared to the guys she dated in the past, and not just because he was a power ranger. It was something else, and Jayden was just... Jayden. Nothing more, nothing less, and Brooke found herself happy with his constant presence. It was like Casper, but _more._

A hand snapping fingers in front of her face snapped Brooke out of her thoughts. She got a glare at Mike, pushing his hand away, and he laughed. "Wow, you were _really_ deep in thought. You just stopped walking." He teased, and Emily hit his shoulder.

"Be nice!" Emily chided, and Mike snickered. Shaking her head at him, she turned her attention to Brooke. "Are you alright? You were really quiet." She asked, and Brooke averted her gaze, her cheeks heating up.

_Well, shit._ She hadn't realized she had just stopped walking, and her eyes flashed multiple times as her canines grew in. "Yeah, yeah. I was just thinking about a lot, my bad. Sorry." Brooke rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly, and the team was rather nonchalant about it.

"Just making sure you're okay," Mia responded, and Brooke flashed her a sheepish smile.

"Yeah, I'm good. Sorry." Brooke apologized, and they started walking again. Everything went back to normal, and the embarrassment subsided rather quickly, but it returned at full force when Jayden spoke.

"You muttered my name. What were you thinking about?" Jayden wondered, partly teasing and partly curious. He was happy Brooke thought of him- and while it was extremely _stupid,_ it was the truth. Seeing her struggle to come up with a response was also amusing to him, and he raised his eyebrows at her.

_Fuck,_ Brooke thought, and she knew her face was going to be the color of Jayden's ranger suit in a matter of seconds. What could she say? That she was thinking about her pretty much unbearable crush that she had on him? _No._ That would spell disaster, so Brooke just made a random hand motion to answer. She didn't know why she was so embarrassed, usually, she wasn't- she used to be able to maintain her cool around guys she liked. _Used to._

She couldn't be more grateful when the six started walking down the gravel path that led to the Shiba House. Brooke could avoid facing Jayden's question by taking a shower and a nap, and that sounded great. Though, he seemed to be fine with her nonverbal answer, just shaking his head with a small smile and not pressing the issue. Which was great.

The seven walked through the gates, Antonio joining the rest of the team, to find Ji picking tomatoes. He raised his head at the sound of footsteps crunching across the gravel, holding a basket of tomatoes. "Hey guys, how'd it go?" He asked, and Jayden shot his mentor a weary smile.

"It was fine," Jayden responded, and he glanced at Brooke, who had her brows knit. Her eyes flashed, landing on a color that was more gold than grey, her upper lip curling around her canines. "Everything okay?" He asked, and she shook her head.

"Someone else is here," Brooke muttered, having a slight lisp due to her canines. The smell of a _forest-_ not Jayden's old cologne, but an actual forest, stuck out against the familiar scents.

It was a trail, and Brooke didn't wait for the others to respond before she was power-walking to the doors. One of them was left open, and she shifted, following the scent trail into the meeting room. She was on guard, the six other rangers trailing the brown wolf, Antonio and Jayden sharing a confused glance at their childhood friend's actions. She rounded the corner to see a _boy-_ probably thirteen, sitting on one of the chairs in the meeting room and resting his feet on the coffee table. He had dirty blonde hair and was wearing a flannel tucked into some jeans with a brown belt, paired with red converse, and wolf-Brooke glanced at Jayden. She flicked her ears, and he walked into the meeting room, furrowing his brows.

"Hello?" Jayden greeted, sounding more skeptical than anything.

The boy instantly stood up, wiping the dirt off the coffee table. He also hurriedly grabbed his satchel, turning to face the rangers and the brown wolf. "You must be the red ranger," He greeted, stretching out a hand and walking towards Jayden. Who took it, the two shaking hands. The boy's eyes then landed on wolf-Brooke, who wagged her tail slowly. "A shifter." He blurted, and in a series of cracking noises, Brooke shifted back.

The boy instantly held out a hand, and Brooke took it, shaking it and breaking into a smile. It wasn't her traditional grin- it was an actual smile that revealed her longer canines. "Nice to meet you. Are you here for something?" She asked, her eyes flashing. Honestly, she barely knew the boy, and she already felt the big sister complex kicking in. He was like Maxx when he was thirteen. It was just Maxx if he had a decent life.

"I brought you this," The boy announced to Jayden, reaching into his satchel and holding out a white disk. "I need you to free the bullzord." He urged, and before Jayden could respond, Ji came over.

"Cody, does your father know you're here?" Ji chided, but his voice was soft.

"No," The boy, Cody, confessed, looking somewhat bashful. "I jumped the fence." He explained, and Mike nudged Brooke, raising his eyebrows at her, who shook her head and shot him a playful glare.

It _really was_ Maxx, in a sense, and that caused a bittersweet feeling to wash over Brooke. She usually didn't like kids, in actuality, but Cody was an outlier of sorts. Perhaps it was just because he reminded her of her little brother. Of course, Maxx now was _vastly_ different, the fifteen-year-old known for his prickly attitude and quick wit. He was in therapy, as he could actually be because he was fully human and not a ranger, but it was clear that James had taken a toll on him. Brooke had protected him to the best of her abilities, enduring some of the abuse so he didn't have to, but their lives weren't exactly easy in the past. It would make sense it would affect his behavior and outlook of the world.

"Cody's family are guardians to the first-ever zord that appeared in our world, the bullzord, who holds immense primal power," Ji stated, and Brooke and Jayden shared a look at that.

"Do you think it was the silver or red ranger that made the zord?" Brooke wondered, her voice barely above a whisper, and Jayden rolled his eyes with a smile.

"Red, I'm thinking. If I remember correctly." Jayden responded, his voice equally as quiet. Brooke just hummed in response, the two rangers turning their attention back to the conversation at hand.

"Cody's family have been guardians for over three hundred years," Ji started, and Brooke felt Amaris' presence in her mind, the wolf intently listening in on the conversation. "The bullzord came into our world out of symbol power, but it went out of control and ravaged the countryside. But the Grand Shogun sealed it away in a secret location. Only his family know the secret." He finished, and the nine turned their attention to Amaris, who appeared in a flash of silver.

She was almost transparent and flickering like a projection, but her violet eyes were shining bright. _"Both Grand Shogun, being the silver and red rangers, were present to seal the bullzord away. I was at the silver ranger's side, meaning I know the location as well,"_ Amaris added, hopping up onto one of the cushioned seats in the meeting room and sitting on her haunches. Cody was staring at Amaris with wide eyes, and her tail wagged slowly. _"Hello, Cody. I assume you know about me since your ancestors knew of my existence."_ She greeted, and he nodded.

"Brooke, are you okay?" Mia asked, and Brooke nodded, furrowing her brows.

"Yeah, I'm fine- oh, you guys mean Amaris," Brooke cut herself off, realization dawning on her face as her eyes flashed. "It's just because I've used a lot of symbol power today. It's relatively normal at this point." She reassured the team, who, sans Jayden, looked slightly worried. She walked over and sat next to Amaris, scratching behind the wolf's ears, who wagged her tail in contentment.

Cody snapped out of his trance, tearing his attention from Amaris. "The bullzord it's bad, he just wants to be free! Once I break the seal-" He started enthusiastically, but was cut off by Kevin, who looked skeptical.

"Hold on, you want to unleash a zord that went on a _rampage?"_ Kevin blurted in disbelief, and Cody's enthusiasm died out, but it was quickly replaced by determination.

"He won't do that now! You can control it with this disk!" Cody argued, holding the white disk up to Jayden, who had gone into his "red ranger complex" mode.

Brooke could tell, by the way any and all emotion left his eyes. And she didn't know _how_ to feel. It might just be the big sister complex, but she felt bad denying Cody of his wish. But, from what she gathered, by the conversation they were currently having, it wasn't a good idea. Still, she could see something in Cody, a longing for a friend. From what she was guessing, the bullzord _was_ his friend, and he just wanted to see it free. Which made her heart hurt, and she buried a clawed hand into Amaris' fur.

_"You love Maxx, and those feelings are associating themselves with Cody as well. You miss him, don't you?"_ Amaris asked, her voice only ringing through Brooke's head, and she resisted the urge to cry. Amaris had hit the nail on the head.

_"Yeah."_ Brooke thought but quickly tried to lock those emotions away. She couldn't feel those things- she was a soldier. Once this was over she could see Maxx again, and it was going to work out. _Like it always does._

"We need to check this out," Jayden declared, his voice hard. "We'll take you home." He told Cody, who looked on the verge of tears but obliged.

_"I'll always be with you, my dear,"_ Amaris vowed to Brooke, hopping off of the seat. She then bounced in place twice, leaping through the air, returning to Sweetbrier Mountain in a flash of silver.

Rising from her seat, Brooke winced at the pain in her feet. Well, today just got a lot longer, and she quickly shed her leather jacket, taking her samuraizer and zord out of the pockets, throwing it on the seat. That left her in a black t-shirt and grey jeans, and she was pleasantly surprised to see Jayden waiting for her. She flashed him a small smile, which he returned, the pair walking side-by-side out of the Shiba House.

"Everything okay? You looked a little upset." Jayden pointed out, and Brooke nodded, clipping her zord onto her belt loops.

"Cody reminds me of Maxx, especially when he was little. Maxx was the same age when we ran away," Brooke murmured, her eyes flashing as she glanced at Cody before returning her attention to Jayden. "Sorry- I'm just tired, I guess. It's been a long day." She apologized, and Jayden wore a reassuring smile.

"It's alright, you don't have to apologize," Jayden reassured her, his voice soft. He silently offered his hand, which Brooke took, the two rangers intertwining fingers as they followed Cody. 

* * *

When the rangers, plus Cody, reached Cody's house, Brooke and Jayden dropped hands. It was for appearances to be kept, as who knows how Cody's father would react to _that._ Brooke was also slightly worried about how Cody's father would react to her. More importantly, her mother, because she knew that what Jane did probably spread around like wildfire. So, Brooke braced herself for that and tuned into a conversation when she heard voices over the sound of wooden logs hitting the ground. It was faint, but one of the voices seemed familiar.

"...I don't know, Nate. How'd you manage it?" A voice, Cody's father asked, and Brooke instantly felt her spirits lighten. _Nate_ _was here,_ and it seemed like he was on good terms with Cody's father. So maybe Brooke didn't have to instantly apologize for her mother's actions.

She still kept in touch with her father- with the occasional phone call here and there, but Brooke hadn't mentioned Serrator yet. She also had wanted to speak to him in person about it, because that was a whole mess she still had to deal with. And, while she didn't know for sure, Nate maybe _could_ help her with it. Brooke hoped, but she also didn't want to put him in harm's way or anything of the sorts. One of her biggest fears at the moment wasn't Serrator targeting _her_ , but rather him targeting the people she cared about. Because it seemed right up his alley to do so, and she prayed that it didn't come to that. However, Brooke knew she had to keep her guard up because there was no telling what Serrator planned to do next. And that scared her.

"Just hold faith. Took five years for Brooke- speak of the devil." Nate mused, him and Cody's father turning their attention to the seven rangers. He was leaning against the side of the house while Cody's father was chopping wood, and looked significantly better now that he had Brooke back in his life. His dark circles were gone, and life had returned to his grey eyes, which met an almost identical grey.

The team knew about Nate but were obviously taken aback by Brooke's sudden cheerful attitude. Well, except Jayden, who just enjoyed the happy smile she had on her face. He couldn't remember the last time he saw her smile that wide, if he'd ever seen her smile like that before. She and Nate were having a silent conversation, as he raised a brow and she discreetly motioned to Cody. Who was hiding behind her and Jayden, obviously _not_ wanting to be in his current situation.

"Excuse me, can we speak to you? We're-" Jayden started, but was cut off by Cody's father chopping a log in half.

"I know who you are, my son went to see you," Cody's father announced, chopping another small log and putting another in its place. "Why are you hiding in the back of them, Cody?" He questioned, not even turning around, Brooke raising her eyebrows at Nate, who shrugged.

Brooke and Jayden stepped to the side somewhat so Cody could take the walk of shame forward. Which his father finally turned around, looking a mixture of worried and annoyed. "You left without telling me." He scolded, and Cody instantly looked apologetic.

"'Cause I was worried about the bullzord, Dad! It doesn't want to be sealed up like that, I can feel it! And the red ranger here can help us set him free!" Cody defended, motioning to Jayden, who instantly wore his look of "don't rope me into this".

"No-one can control that zord, Cody. Not even the red ranger," Cody's father's eyes then slid to Brooke, whose eyes were now a grey-gold, her canines poking out from underneath her upper lip. "Or silver. You danger yourself and the rangers." He added, and Nate, noticing Brooke's inhumane features, motioned to a spot farther away.

Who nodded, Brooke willing her claws away and brushing Jayden's arms with her fingertips. "I'll be back." She murmured, motioning to Nate, and Jayden glanced at him then back to her, nodding. Truthfully, the way Cody's father held a stern tone somewhat caught her off guard. She had flinched, and Jayden had picked up on it.

"Yell if you need anything." Jayden urged, offering Brooke a small smile, which she returned with a nod.

Then she broke off from the six, walking side-by-side with Nate they walked to an area that was a little ways away from Cody, his father, and the rangers. Once out of earshot, Brooke instantly ran a hand over her face, letting out a quiet sigh. "You love to see it. Thought I was over that." She muttered, her eyes flashing, and Nate frowned.

"James?" Nate wondered, and when Brooke nodded, an expression of guilt crossed his features. But only for a moment, and he glanced down at Brooke's platform doc martens. "Christ, you're tall in those. I almost didn't think it was you at first." He joked, trying to change the subject, and it worked, as Brooke let out a small laugh.

"Yeah, they're hurting my feet. We just got done with a battle, actually, it was a whole thing," Brooke sighed again, glancing at the team and then back at Nate. "Serrator made his appearance the other day." She mumbled, and grey eyes instantly widened.

"I thought they got rid of him," Nate blurted, then running his hand over his face. "He said something about your mother, didn't he?" He asked, Brooke's eyes flashing as she nodded again.

"Yeah. Mostly about how I was putting up a better fight than Mom and all that," Brooke recalled the battle with a grimace. Luckily her side had almost healed fully, and the gashes somehow didn't even scar. Which, she was grateful for, and not even for cosmetic purposes, Brooke just _didn't_ want to have a reminder of that failed battle. "He, uh, fucked up my side pretty bad. Would've bled out in my zord if it wasn't for Red," She confessed, and when Nate grew pale, she backpedaled. "It's fine now, though. And that's all he really did, it was just taunts more than anything." Brooke reassured Nate, who looked somewhat relieved.

"Starting off, you're not your mother. I'm sorry that her ghost has to follow you, and that's what the Wolfe name has become. A grim reminder of Jane Wolfe's cowardice," Nate apologized, and when Brooke opened her mouth to speak, he cut her off. "It's partly my fault too, Brooke. I knew something was wrong, but I didn't do anything about it. However, I'm proud of you, and you've grown up so much. It's hard to believe that you've grown, honestly. I still have an image of you being twelve in my mind." He added, and Brooke's grey-gold eyes instantly welled with tears. It was always the "I'm proud of you" that made her cry, and she didn't know why.

"Fuck," Brooke sniffled, wiping away tears before they could fall, but some still fell, rolling down her cheeks. "I would appreciate it if you _didn't_ make me cry while I'm on this little team excursion." She joked and then proceeded to laugh at her own joke slightly, letting out a watery laugh.

Nate chuckled, ruffling her hair somewhat. A grey eye landed on Jayden, and he noticed the way he was carefully watching Brooke. Just to make sure everything's alright, and that caused Nate to shake his head with a small laugh. "Your mother's rolling in her grave right now- I tell you. But he's grown up as well, and you two are still glued to the hip." He remarked, and Brooke smiled genuinely.

"He makes me happy," Brooke murmured, then turning her head when the smell of spice and smoke was growing closer. Jayden was walking over to the pair, Brooke watching in amusement as he nearly tripped over something, but soon regained his balance. "Heya, Red. Everything alright?" She greeted, and Jayden nodded as he stopped so that he was standing next to her.

Truth be told, he was _nervous._ Jayden didn't even know why, as Nate seemed like a nice man, but his grey eyes seemed to read him like an open book. "Yeah, everything's fine, everyone's just heading inside, and I wanted to let you know," He answered, then turning his attention to Nate. "I'm- well, you already know who I am." Jayden stammered, and he kicked himself for it, wiping his sweaty palms on his jeans and outstretching a hand.

"Jayden Shiba. It's been seven years," Nate greeted, grey eyes sparkling with amusement as he took Jayden's hand. After shaking it, he clapped his hands together, turning his attention back to Brooke. "That means I should probably get going. If Serrator says anything that you don't understand- call me, I can tell you if it's bullshit or not. Also, try not to let him get into your head, he's probably going to use your mother against you, as a way to catch you off guard. Stay sharp." He advised, and Brooke nodded, her expression one of confidence.

"There's no way in hell he's getting both Mom and me. Plus, I've got Red on my side," Brooke mused, glancing at Jayden with a grin, and he nodded, cheeks dusted pink and wearing a flustered smile. "But, yeah, I'll keep it in mind. I'll let you know if he does anything besides the norm of threatening my life," She joked, and neither Jayden nor Nate found it very funny. Grey and blue eyes just watched her in concern, and her eyes flashed as she puffed out her cheeks slightly. "Okay, okay. Bad joke, but, you know what I mean. Bye, Dad, I love you." Brooke wrapped Nate into a hug, which he seemed taken aback by, but quickly returned.

"Bye kiddo, love you too," Nate replied with a happy smile, pulling away from Brooke. He pulled his keys out of the pocket of his blazer, and with a nod to Jayden, who returned it with a knowing smile, he was off.

"Sorry about that, second time I've actually seen him in person, that I remember," Brooke apologized, turning to face Jayden again. Who saw the tear tracks on her cheeks, and his eyes instantly sparkled with concern, which she noticed. "Nate told me he was proud of me. It always makes me cry." She explained with a watery voice, averting her gaze from Jayden.

"It's alright, I can tell he cares about you," Jayden stated, cupping Brooke's face in his hands, and he knew he'd probably be kicking himself tomorrow. He caressed her cheeks with his thumbs, enjoying the way her eyes widened and flashed, her flushing pink and her cheeks growing warmer. "He has every reason to be proud of you." He murmured, stroking her cheek one last time and then stepping away.

"I _will_ cry," Brooke threatened, wishing the heat on her face would subside. It was annoying, and she could tell Jayden found it amusing. Which made it more annoying, and she glanced at Cody's house, her eyes flashing. "Well, let's go see what fate our ancestors damned us into this time." She sighed, starting to walk up the path that led to the front door.

As she walked, Emily's words from after they fought the armadillo nighlok flashed through her mind. It was the fact that Jayden praised her more than the others, and Brooke was sure as hell that he wasn't kissing Emily or Mia on the forehead. She wasn't complaining at all, the praises and forehead kisses were always nice. It made her feel _special,_ and so very loved. Though, she wondered where Jayden got the confidence from- as he usually wasn't the smoothest with deliveries like those. Brooke glanced at him- _and there it was._

His cheeks were dusted pink, and so were the tips of his ears. His blue eyes held conflict, and Jayden knew he needed to focus on the mission at hand. So, he locked all emotions pertaining to Brooke in the basement of his mind. He'll touch those later, or not at all, which seemed like the better option. With a quiet sigh, he regained his composure, getting ready to face whatever being a red ranger threw at him.

* * *

The two walked into the house, Brooke's gaze instantly landing on a wooden statue. Well, two, and they were obviously ranger suits, just intricate ones, with they looked _bulky._ Her eyes flashed as she noticed the kanji on both of the statues' helmets- one holding the kanji for fire and the other holding the kanji for wolf. Meaning, that the two suits were made for the silver and red rangers. "So, this is the Grand Shogun, right? Looks... heavy," Brooke concluded and then turned her gaze to Cody's father. "I'm sorry if this is an invasive question, but, how do you know my dad- er, Nate?" She asked, and Cody's father shook his head.

"Nate and I were close when your mother was fighting in the war- and then he helped me raise Cody for a bit." Cody's father answered, and Brooke nodded. He was no-nonsense, getting to the point quickly, which, in some situations, was nice.

"Speaking of, Cody really cares about that zord, doesn't he?" Jayden wondered, and Cody's father nodded.

"He started talking to the bullzord when he was three years old- he thinks it can understand him." Cody's father replied, shaking his head with a small smile- almost in disbelief.

Brooke frowned at that, her eyes flashing and her claws growing in slightly. _Cody just wants a friend._ She felt bad for the kid- because it must be like Jayden's situation, where it was only him and his father, and Cody didn't even have any childhood friends. However, she pushed those feelings aside, chewing on her bottom lip. "Does it, though?" She thought aloud, and Cody's father's expression hardened.

"Maybe, but it can't be trusted," He stated, walking over to a small wooden safe. Unlocking the safe, Cody's father opened it and pulled out a _scroll,_ untying the leather string that kept it rolled up. "Three-hundred years ago, both Grand Shogun entrusted us with this task, to guard the bullzord with our own lives." He started, laying the scroll on the table and unfurling it.

Drawn on the scroll were two Grand Shogun, the silver and red rangers, as shown by their helmets. A wolf sat by the silver ranger's feet, and Brooke instantly knew it was Amaris. Even three-hundred years ago, she still carried her motherly expression, and Brooke felt the corners of her lips twitch. _"You don't age."_ She thought, and instantly felt Amaris' presence in her mind.

_"I do not. As I am a being made from symbol power, I am incapable of aging,"_ Amaris replied, thinking for a moment. She then spoke again, her voice full of pride. _"I vividly recall the day the bullzord was sealed away- I am proud to say I was by the silver ranger's side at the time."_ She announced, and Brooke only shook her head with a small smile. Which Jayden picked up on, and he quirked a brow at her.

"Amaris sounds _rather proud_ of herself right now. It's endearing." Brooke explained, tapping her temple for emphasis, her voice barely above a whisper.

Jayden nodded, a ghost of a smile on his lips, but it soon fell when he turned his attention back to the scroll. He knew he needed to focus, as this was important, so he tried to shut his thoughts off for the time being. Which didn't really work, as Mia quickly opened the door and broke the solemn mood, the seven others in the room snapping their attention to her.

"Cody's gone." Mia blurted, her chest heaving. It was clear to see she made an attempt to find Cody, as her breathing was labored and her face shone with sweat.

"Brooke-" Emily started, but the ranger in question cut her off with a nod.

"I got it, he couldn't have gotten very far," Brooke answered Emily's question before she asked it, and she heard as her bones cracked and popped. She looked to Cody's father for silent confirmation, and when he nodded, her eyes flashed, her expression settling into one of determination. "I'll call if anything happens." She reassured the team, well, mostly Jayden, and then she was off.

She power-walked out of the house, and Brooke sniffed the air, finding two trails- Cody's scent trail, and a trail in the woods. Set on her destination, she broke off into a sprint, instantly wincing at the pain in her feet. So, she shifted, and that made things easier, the brown wolf bounding down the path. Following the path was pretty straightforward, but Brooke was too caught up in finding Cody that she didn't notice the flash of dark red behind her.

"The guardian and the silver ranger? Two birds with one stone." The nighlok chuckled, trailing the two at a distance so that Brooke couldn't pick up on the scent.

Not that she was very focused on that, anyway, her brain had honed in on the one scent. Brooke wasn't paying attention to what was around her, only following Cody. He, presumably, was going to the bullzord, but she was scared if he was going to set the zord free or not. She shifted back when he walked into a cave in a mountain, and Brooke followed him. Her body throbbed, and she really hoped something bad didn't happen, because she knew she had barely enough symbol power to fight. That scared her, and her fears were confirmed when she walked into a cave.

Her eyes instantly widened and turned gold, Brooke staring at the red kanji in front of Cody for a moment. _Fuck, fuck, fuck,_ She thought, pulling her samuraizer out of the back pocket of her jeans. "Cody!" She yelled, but it was already too late.

_"Symbol Power: Release!"_ Cody called, activating the symbol, and Brooke instantly started drawing one of her own. He noticed her, his expression of pride and joy turning into one of panic. "No! He'll listen to me!" He argued, and Brooke finished drawing the symbol.

"We can't risk it, Cody. I'm sorry," Brooke apologized, talking around her canines, and taking a deep breath. She steeled her nerves, the symbol for domesticate, 飼, floating in front of her. She didn't even bother with calling the symbol's name, but she made a noise of shock when it _shattered._

The silver kanji shattered against what was once the control panel of the bullzord, it now being a stone pillar with an arc in a U-shape on the top of it. There was also a triangle indented in the middle of the pillar, which, in the middle of it, had a place where a disk could be attached. The kanji had failed- and Brooke didn't know _what_ to do.

_"Amaris-"_ Brooke started, calling on the white wolf, but the cockpit of the bullzord shook violently, and she got flung backwards. She landed hard on her back, her samuraizer flying out of her hand and skidding a couple feet away from her. Pain flared in her back, and when the back of her head collided with the ground, everything went black.

Meanwhile, Jayden was worried. This time, he had every right to be, as a zord was now on a rampage, and he concluded Brooke was inside _of it._ He instantly pulled out his samuraizer and dialed her familiar number, holding the device up to his ear. He expected her to pick up on the first ring, but she didn't, and he grew _more_ worried when he got her voicemail.

_"This is Brooke Wolfe. I'm most likely busy at the moment, so just leave a name and I'll call back once I get the chance."_ Her voicemail spoke, and Jayden flipped his samuraizer shut with a sigh.

"She's not answering," Jayden explained, answering the team's silent questions. They all collectively shared a worried look, and he ran a hand through his hair. "Maybe she's just trying to tame it." He muttered, trying to reassure _himself_ more than anything. That wasn't great, but he knew he had to lead- and the gears in his mind turned as he came up with a battle strategy. At least six of the seven rangers were present and active, which made things easier.

"If she's in the bullzord, Cody will be fine. She'll be fine." Antonio stated, reassuring the team, plus Cody's father, and Jayden shot a grateful look at his childhood friend. Who caught sight of it and nodded, clapping him on the shoulder.

_It'll work out, like it always does,_ Jayden thought to himself before shutting off his thoughts. He went into the familiar emotionless state, coming up with a plan. The best he could think of was going into megamode- so, that's what he planned to do. "There's no way we're going to let it rampage! We have to try!" He announced, taking his samuraizer out of his pocket and flipping it open. The team followed his command, morphing into their suits, and that's when the show truly began.

* * *

Brooke came to when dirt fell on her face. A lot of it, actually, and she coughed, rolling on her side. _What in the everloving fuck is going on?_ She asked herself, wiping some of the dirt off of her face. Blinking rapidly, she tried to regain her bearings, surveying her surroundings as her senses kicked in. Right, she was in the bullzord, and her attention snapped to the stone pillar. There was now a disk attached to it, and Brooke forced herself to her feet. The cockpit of the bullzord shook, and she nearly fell down again, letting out a groan as the back of her head pounded.

"Cody, what did you do?" Brooke questioned Cody, who looked scared out of his mind. She didn't blame him, but couldn't really feel sympathetic at the moment.

"I- I gave it it's full power back. I thought- I thought it would listen to me!" Cody exclaimed, choking on the words, and Brooke caught sight of his shoeless foot. Spying his red converse lying near the stone pillar, she picked it up, walking over to him.

Which was easier said than done, as Brooke stumbled when the cockpit shook again. Still, she managed to make her way over to Cody, handing him his shoe. "It'll work out. We'll work this out." She responded, trying to sort through her thoughts. She didn't have _many,_ as her brain was filled with radio static, and she was _sure_ she had a concussion. Still, Brooke felt Amaris' presence in her mind, which was relieving. _"I need help."_ She thought, and the white wolf responded without missing a beat.

_"You hit your head fairly hard, I am not able to read your thoughts as clearly as normal. However, I will provide you with assistance to the best of my ability,"_ Amaris stated, and Brooke just nodded. She could deal with that, at least her emotional support wolf was present. _"Currently, a nighlok- Crustor, is trying to capture the bullzord, you, and Cody, from what it seems."_ She relayed the information over, and Brooke found herself breaking into a lopsided grin.

_Crustor._ That's a name and a half, and Brooke knew she shouldn't be finding it funny. But it was all she had, and she heard the faint sounds of moogers squealing, so the bullzord was seemingly winning. At least the zord could hold its own, and she spotted her samuraizer and the missed call notification flashing on the screen. Which was smaller now, thanks to the brush portion being activated, and Brooke unsteadily made her way over to the device. Flipping the brush portion back, she found herself breaking into another smile. It was from Jayden, and she really shouldn't be _happy_ about it, but Brooke concluded she wasn't really all there.

The bullzord suddenly stopped moving, and Brooke glanced at Cody. He looked shaken up- but was relatively unharmed, which was good. Still, she had no idea what was going on regarding the outside world, and Amaris could only do so much because of her concussion and the fact that she was low on symbol power. So they weren't in the _best_ situation, but as long as the bullzord doesn't try to kill her and Cody, it was okay. There always could be worse.

_"Your team is in the area."_ Amaris stated, and Brooke snapped her head up at that.

"Can you go into the cockpit of the megazord?" Brooke spoke aloud, and when Cody gave her a confused look, she sighed. "Amaris, she can read my thoughts and is relaying what's going on currently to me. Apparently, the others are trying to stop the bullzord... I'm guessing." Her head pounded, and when the bullzord started shaking again, rocks and dirt falling from the roof of the cockpit, she lost her balance and fell. This time she didn't hit her head, however, so that was fine.

Hearing the sounds of _blasters,_ Brooke just admitted that this was a bad situation to be in. She couldn't do much, but maybe she could offer support. Unhooking the wolf zord from her belt loops, the parallelogram unfolded, the zord standing on her open palm. "Go with Red, bud." She commanded, and the wolf zord wagged its metal tail, yipping and then flying off.

Then, she shifted, and the aching in her body stopped, but apparently, the concussion transferred over. Which made sense, since her brain didn't really shift, but she didn't like it. Spying her samuraizer, wolf-Brooke picked it up and held the device gingerly in her mouth, padding over to Cody. She set it on the ground, and if on cue, the cockpit started shaking again. She wanted to know what the others were _doing_ because only so much of it could be the bullzord.

Meanwhile, Jayden hated this. The battle was not going as he planned it to- and he had to admit to himself, he underestimated the bullzord's strength. He grit his teeth under his helmet, bracing himself for impact when the zord charged at the samurai megazord. However, instead of the impact, there was a brilliant flash of purple, a translucent purple shield protecting the robot.

"Amaris!" The five shouted in unison, the white wolf barely visible. Still, her eyes didn't show panic or anything of the sort, and she was much calmer compared to the team.

_"You have to let it go. While Brooke would usually have the ability to at least calm the bullzord, that is not the case now. Physical and mental fatigue have taken their toll on her- and she had hit her head fairly hard, that is why it is a struggle to keep myself here at the moment,"_ Amaris stated, sitting on her haunches, her ears flicking. She glanced at Jayden, her ears flattening to her head as she turned her gaze to the bullzord. _"Your concern... it is appreciated, but Brooke is saying not to worry about her. That she will be fine, and you all should focus on the battle at hand."_ Her voice, even though it was ringing through all of the rangers' heads, was quiet.

"Amaris, and Brooke, are right. We have to let it go." Jayden spoke after a couple of moments of silence. While he didn't _want to,_ he knew he had to. So, he had to shove aside his worry and lead the team. That's all he could do at the moment.

* * *

Cody's father was in no better shape than Jayden felt internally, the fear and worry written clearly on his face. Jayden, however, just settled into his emotionless state, shutting off his thoughts. Worrying would get him nowhere, and he knew that. So, he just shut it all off, and it became much easier to function. The sense of disconnect returned- and it was something he hadn't done in a while, actually. Once Deker was gone he usually allowed himself to work through the emotions that he was feeling, because that was much healthier than bottling them. This time, however, he didn't want to work through them. At least in front of the team, so he just shut it all off.

Amaris was still at the rangers' side, but she was almost _clear_ at this point, her violet eyes being the only solid thing. Still, they were all thankful for her presence, and she took charge, hopping onto one of the seats at the wooden table and sitting on her haunches. _"The bullzord is not able to be retrieved at the moment. Its strength is far greater than that of what I remember from three hundred years ago."_ She explained, and Cody's father let out a weak laugh.

"It's been years, Amaris, and you're telling me my son is on a rampaging zord that escaped. Nice to see you too," Cody's father greeted, and Amaris flattened her ears to her head, guilt shining in her eyes. "He should've listened to me, I'm so worried about him now." He muttered, clutching the cup of tea in his hands like a lifeline.

_"Do not worry, Brooke will keep him safe,"_ Amaris reassured Cody's father, who looked somewhat skeptical. _"Something in her mind... Cody is a reminder of her little brother for her. From what I understand, she endured a lot for him, and I believe that is the same for Cody. He is going to be alright, Brooke is one to sacrifice herself for others. She always has been."_ She added, and Jayden hoped it didn't come down to that- _no._ He wouldn't let it come down to that. 

"His bond with the bullzord, even our zords- is so strong. We'll send the zords out to find Cody's location, and we'll try again tomorrow." Jayden offered, and that's what they did.

After they sent out their zords, the walk home was quiet. Jayden half-expected for Brooke to just _appear_ and make fun of him for being worried, and he wanted her to. Still, he tried to mask his worries to the best of his abilities, and he was glad Amaris was sticking around. Her body was still barely visible, and when she tried to hit his legs with her tail in a comforting sort of manner, it _phased through_ them. She instantly let out a whine of confusion at that, flattening her ears to her head again.

"Huh? Amaris, are you okay?" Emily asked, her voice full of concern.

_"I have not been in such a state before,"_ Amaris muttered, her tail drooping. Even she looked somewhat worried, but, in a moment, it was gone. The way her silver and white fur bristled gave it away though, and the six rangers shared a look of concern. _"Usually, my form remains solid, even when holders of the moon disk die. Though, this is most likely happening due to the blunt force trauma Brooke endured. I am easily able to tell that she is not thinking clearly."_ She concluded, but the team seemed shocked at her other statement.

"Hold on, "even when holders of the moon disk die"? You've _seen_ rangers die, Amaris?" Kevin questioned, a mix of confusion and concern on his face, his brows knit.

_"I appear when holders of the moon disk are in peril, but sadly, I am able to do only so much. The teleportation is reliant on the holder's symbol power, and by the time that I appear, they do not have enough to get anywhere. I also do not hold healing capabilities, and I have been asked to put some silver rangers out of their misery."_ Amaris responded, her ears flattened to her head and her fur bristled. It was clear to see that she was recalling memories of those times, and was upset about it. Her voice was quiet, her violet eyes fixated on the path in front of her.

Mia instantly looked sympathetic, shooting the white wolf a comforting look. "Are you okay, Amaris? I can't imagine what it was like for you." She asked, and Amaris snapped out of her memories.

_"Sadly, it is a factor of life and is part of my role. I am fine."_ She responded, bounding down the gravel path that led to the Shiba House. The six watched Amaris for a moment, then starting to walk down the path themselves.

"Who knew a wolf could have war trauma," Mike blurted, and Emily instantly slapped his chest. "But, seriously, that's probably why she's around Brooke all the time. Amaris doesn't want to see anything happen to her." He concluded, and Jayden let himself think for a moment.

_He wouldn't let it come to that._ If it came to the point where Brooke was asking Amaris to kill her... Jayden didn't even want to think about it, so he just shut his thoughts off again. It was easier that way, and the six made their way into the Shiba House to find Amaris pulling Brooke's leather jacket off of one of the seats. She had a sleeve of it in her mouth, and when the rangers all shot her a collective confused look, she dropped it.

_"Brooke asked me to bring it to her. It is the least I can do."_ Amaris explained, taking the sleeve of the jacket in her mouth again and pulling it off of the seat.

Brooke's phone fell out of the pocket and slid on the floor, stopping at Jayden's feet. He picked it up, and the screen instantly lit up, revealing her lockscreen. It was her, with slightly longer hair, and a person he didn't recognize- who had stylishly messy curly brown hair, brown eyes, and an eyebrow piercing. He had a wide smile on his face, and Brooke was on his back, wearing a similar smile. Her arms were loosely wrapped around his neck, and his arms were holding her legs, revealing a tattoo of a mountain range on his upper arm. Whoever he was- he and Brooke looked happy. They were hiking, presumably, guessing by the hiking boots on Brooke's feat, and the sun was setting behind them both, the sky a mixture of oranges and pinks.

"Who's that? A boyfriend?" Mike was the first one to speak, and Jayden shook his head.

"Well, he's definitely a pretty boy- I mean, he looks like someone who'd be Brooke's type." Mia pointed out, and Jayden _really_ didn't like the way this conversation was going. The irrational jealousy surfaced and almost broke through his emotionless state, but he shoved it down. Now wasn't the time.

Antonio, who noticed Jayden's familiar faint scowl and the crease above his eyebrow, nudged his shoulder. "Jealousy's a common look on you nowadays, huh?" He joked, only so Jayden could hear.

Who resisted the urge to use his symbol power and slam a rod into his childhood friend's neck. Not even an hour in and he missed Brooke, just for the fact that her being around meant the team couldn't tease him as easily. "I don't think so, she never mentioned having one. I think it's just a friend." Jayden concluded, shutting off Brooke's phone and sticking it back into the pocket of her leather jacket. Which Amaris still had in her mouth, and her tail wagged slowly.

_"I will return to Brooke now, to make sure everything is alright on her end. Take care."_ Amaris stated, bouncing in place twice and leaping through the air, she and the leather jacket disappearing in a flash of silver.

"You mean, you _want it_ to be just a friend." Mike teased, and Jayden let out a sigh, biting back his annoyance. Of course, this was going to start, _of course._

He should've expected it, in all honesty. Because now Brooke wasn't around Jayden, the others, specifically Mike, could tease him about her. Which isn't what he wanted at all, as he was just tired at this point. "No, it's not like that. She'd probably tell us if she had a boyfriend." He defended himself, trying to ignore the fact that Mike was somewhat correct.

He was really hoping that the mystery guy wasn't a boyfriend, but Jayden figured that she wouldn't flirt with him if that was the case. She didn't seem like the type to do that. But, he also couldn't say anything without revealing the fact that Brooke flirts with him, so Jayden just stopped himself from saying something stupid. He ignored Mike's cheeky smile, and couldn't be happier when Ji walked into the room.

"How'd it go?" Ji asked, then counting the number of rangers in the room. "Where's Brooke?" He thought aloud, noticing that the silver ranger was missing, and he shot a glance at the red.

"Stuck in the bullzord with Cody. Who broke the seal and activated it," Jayden replied, running his hand through his hair and letting out a heavy sigh. "We tried to stop it, but the bullzord escaped, so we just sent out our zords to find their location and planned to try again tomorrow." He summarized, and with that, he left the room.

"Wow, it's almost like he's back to when we all first started fighting as a team," Emily remarked, watching Jayden's retreating figure as he walked out of the meeting room.

Ji glanced in the direction Jayden left and then back at the team, letting out a sigh. "He's always been that way around her, Antonio can tell you more than anyone." He stated, motioning to the gold ranger with a nod, who grinned.

"Brooke gave Jay a _personality,_ almost. Well, so did I, we just taught him how to have fun." Antonio added, deflecting Ji's glare with a cheeky smile.

* * *

_"Symbol Power: Domesticate!"_ Brooke yelled, her voice cracking as she activated the symbol. It hit the stone pillar again, and shattered, much to her annoyance. Nothing was really working, and she tried taking the disk out of the pillar, but it wouldn't budge. Her nose had started bleeding a little while ago, and she wiped the blood and some of the dirt off of her face with the back of her hand. She knew she probably looked like a mess- and she felt disgusting.

Cody, who was in much better shape than she was, was somehow asleep. How, Brooke wasn't sure, as the cockpit of the bullzord was still shaking, but more power to him. He was using her, well, Casper's leather jacket, as a pillow, and she let him. Her wolf form made it pretty comfortable to sleep anywhere, but she didn't even know if she could shift, given the pain in her head and the fatigue she felt.

However, Brooke knew she had to keep pushing through it. She wasn't trying to tame the zord- more like _calm it_ for the time being. At least until the others figured out a way to tame the bullzord, and she hoped that they figured out something soon. Because she would _kill_ for a shower and a meal, even if it was a cold shower and some protein bars. The sweat from the battles before, with Scott and General Gut, was making her body uncomfortably _sticky,_ and the dirt caking her body didn't help either.

Still, she ignored it to the best of her abilities. Flipping through the symbols she knew, Brooke tried to calm her breathing and preserve the small amount of symbol power she still had. She knew she couldn't overdo it, but she didn't want to give the bullzord the option to rampage across the countryside overnight. That was what she was trying to avoid, and she steeled her nerves as she drew one last symbol. 静か hung in the air, and Brooke chewed on her bottom lip, gold eyes inspecting the symbol for a moment. It seemed like it could work, but she could only hope. _"Symbol Power: Peaceful."_ She called wearily, activating the symbol and collapsing on her knees.

To her surprise- the symbol actually _worked,_ and Brooke nearly cried in relief when the bullzord powered off. She knew it couldn't last, but hopefully, it stayed active long enough so she could get some sleep and regain some of her symbol power. Oh, what she wouldn't give to be in Jayden's arms right now as well, she knew that he was probably worried out of his mind. Which was the norm for the red ranger, but still. Brooke felt bad for making him worry.

However, that all became secondary when Cody stirred, and Brooke flipped back the brush portion and shut her samuraizer. "Hey, you okay?" She asked, making her way over to the younger boy and sitting beside him.

"Did... did you tame it?" Cody mumbled, regaining his bearings and sitting up.

Brooke shook her head, wearing a smile laced with exhaustion. "Not yet, but it's powered off for the time being, so we can get some sleep," She answered, setting her samuraizer beside her and leaning back in her hands. She never would've imagined that she would be stuck in the cockpit of a zord with a thirteen-year-old that she barely knew, but being a ranger came with surprises. "Which, you should do. It's probably going to be a tiring day tomorrow because this bad boy's gonna be up and running again." She told Cody, patting the floor of the cockpit for emphasis.

"Why aren't you mad? I mean, I caused all of this." Cody blurted, and Brooke's eyes turned gold as she blinked in surprise. She then let out a faint laugh,, her claws scratching at the ground and her upper lip curling around her canines.

"First of all, I'm exhausted, so that's caused my emotions to tap out, but, I get it. You wanted a friend, and the bullzord was your friend. You wanted it to be happy, right?" Brooke speculated, and Cody nodded, a certain type of sadness taking over his features. Which made her heart throb, but she pushed it aside. "I didn't have many friends, either. Only one, until I joined the team- and I would've, and still would, do anything to see him happy. And that's... that's alright. People make choices in the heat of the moment that they think are right, and you just wanted to see your friend happy, and you thought your actions were right. There was no malicious intent, so, there's not a reason to get mad." She decided, adjusting her position so that her knees were drawn to her chest. Her canines gave her a slight lisp, and she couldn't really organize her thoughts, but Cody seemed to get the message.

"Thank you," Cody thanked, and Brooke hummed in response, her eyes flashing and settling on grey, her features returning to normal. "Do you... do you want to be friends?" His voice was barely audible, and Brooke nearly cried.

Her eyes flashed multiple times, and she broke into a happy smile. "Of course, Cody. I'm Brooke, I don't know if you knew that," Brooke introduced herself, joy seeping into her tone. It was just like Maxx- it was _Maxx._ It was just mentally stable Maxx, and she saw his light brown hair and green eyes for a moment, and she remembered the first time she saw him break into a genuine smile. It was when they left James' and Mary offered them a place to stay, and Brooke remembered being so happy. That her brother was safe and he was happy.

"I'm Brooke, and I'd love to be your friend." She sniffled, and Brooke felt the tears rolling down her cheeks. They washed away some of the dirt and sweat, so it was fine, and she found herself choking back a sob as Cody wrapped her in a tight hug.

_"You're the best sister, even if you're annoying,"_ Maxx's voice echoed in her head, and Brooke returned the hug. _"I'm only gonna say this once, but, I love you, Brooke. I'm happy you're my sister."_

* * *

Jayden was getting ready for bed when he heard _something_ collide with his window. It made a loud thud, followed by a series of barks, and he felt his spirits lighten when he saw the wolf zord. It hit his window again, letting out more barks, its golden eyes shining bright and metal tail wagging. Jayden opened the window, and the wolf zord instantly zipped inside, pawing at his nose as a greeting. That action caused him to break into a smile, the first one he's worn all night, and he felt some of his worries leave his body.

Shutting the window, Jayden held out his palm, but the mechanical wolf didn't listen to him. Instead, it sat on his shoulder, seemingly proud of itself for completing its task. Which caused him to let out a quiet laugh, reaching for his samuraizer, which was on his bedside table, and grabbing it, flipping it open. "You're just like Brooke, huh?" He asked the zord, who let out happy barks at the mention of its owner, and Jayden called Brooke, a small smile on his face.

To his relief and delight, Brooke picked up on the first ring. _"Heya... Red,"_ She greeted with a yawn, her voice groggy. The wolf zord instantly let out a series of barks upon hearing it's owner's voice, and that caused her to laugh. _"I see he made it to you. I'm glad."_ She stated, and Jayden found himself smiling. Just hearing her voice- even though it was groggy and some of her words were slurring together, made him happy.

"He's a lot like you," Jayden remarked, sitting on his bed. "I can't explain it, but he is. I'm glad to see you're okay, though. You didn't pick up the first time." He added, holding out his open palm again, and this time the wolf zord listened. It flew over and landed in his palm, curling up into its parallelogram, which Jayden set on his bedside table.

_"Yeah, I'm all good for right now. Sorry 'bout that, the bullzord lurched and I hit my head. Knocked me out for a bit, and then I was worried about Cody, so the thought escaped my mind,"_ Brooke responded, letting out a sigh, which turned into a yawn. _"I tried using a little bit of symbol power, and I managed to calm the bullzord down enough so it stopped moving. My head hurts now, and Amaris is mad at me because she can't go anywhere because of me being low on symbol power. But, besides that, and the concussion I think I have, everything's good. Cody's asleep, and I was falling asleep when you called. But, I'm happy to hear your voice."_ She recalled the events of the rest of the day, and Jayden was only really paying attention to one thing. She was happy hearing his voice, and that made him _extremely_ happy.

"I'm happy to hear your voice, too, Brooke. I'm happy you're okay." Jayden murmured, his face heating up. He didn't know why he was getting flustered over _this_ , and for once, he was glad Brooke couldn't see him.

_"You worry too much. I'm fine, I promise you,"_ Brooke laughed, but it wasn't her usual teasing laugh. It was softer and sounded genuine. _"Take care of yourself, okay? I mean it, or imma get Amaris to lay on you until you fall asleep. Cuddle her until I get back because you owe me."_ She playfully threatened, and Jayden choked on his own saliva.

Well, that was unexpected, but he was happy about it. It made his already warm face heat up more, his cheeks burning as he wore a happy smile. "So, the cuddling thing is just happening whenever, now?" _Not that I'm complaining._ Jaydenwondered, and Brooke hummed, seemingly in thought for a couple of moments.

_"Mm, let's see... While I have this concussion, yeah, and you still owe me. You're lucky I'm not charging interest or any of that."_ Brooke joked and then proceeded to laugh at her own joke, and that's when Jayden knew she was out of it. She probably wasn't even processing what she was saying, and the exhaustion was starting to creep into her voice.

"Brooke, you need to get some sleep, alright? I'll see you tomorrow." Jayden advised, and while he, selfishly, didn't want to hang up, he knew he had to.

_"I know, and I'll probably have to fight tomorrow,"_ Brooke complained, but it was all in good humor. _"Be my knight in shining red, okay? I'm counting on you. 'Gnight_ , _Red."_ She murmured, her voice barely audible.

"I'm planning to be, and call me if you need anything. Goodnight Brooke, sleep well." Jayden then ended the call, flipping his samuraizer shut and placing it next to the wolf zord on his nightstand. He then got into bed fully and noticed he felt significantly less stressed than he thought he would be, and that was nice. He knew everything was going to work out tomorrow, and he wore a small smile as he turned off his lamp. _It worked out. Like it always does._

* * *

The next morning, the six walked back to Cody's house, and the wolf zord was sitting on Jayden's shoulder. The team noticed he was in a much brighter mood, and the mechanical wolf seemed to lift his spirits, to a degree. Amaris had also returned, but this time she was almost solid, her tail wagging happily as she greeted the team. Her violet eyes were shining bright, giving the notion that everything was turning around for the better. That everything was going to be fine.

The wolf zord let out a series of barks when the team reached Cody's house, the mechanical wolf flying off of Jayden's shoulder and intercepting the lion zord. The red and silver robots playfully fought for a moment, then turning their attention to Jayden, letting out a roar and a bark respectively. Which caused him to break into a small smile, and he turned his attention to the team. "Let's roll." He commanded, and the team made a move to follow the zords but were stopped by Cody's father.

"Wait!" He called, jogging up to Jayden, holding a white disk in his hand. "Take this, it's the original power disk my ancestors used to create the bullzord three hundred years ago. It's the only possible way to tame it." Cody's father urged, and Jayden took the bull disk, nodding.

"Amaris," Jayden turned his attention to the white wolf, the black box appeared in his hand in a flash of red, and she flicked her ears, her tail wagging. "Take these to Brooke. It'll be easier for her to use them since she's already in the bullzord." He stated, holding out the two objects.

_"With pleasure,"_ Amaris replied, gently holding the black box and bull disk in her mouth. She then bounced in place twice, leaping through the air and disappearing in a flash of silver.

Meanwhile, Brooke was awake, and she felt significantly better than she did last night. Most of the _peaceful_ symbol had worn off, so the bullzord was active again, but it was much calmer. Which was a positive turn of events, and Cody was trying to communicate with the zord to calm it down, she turned her attention to the flash of silver. Amaris appeared, and Brooke instantly broke into a happy smile, kneeling to the wolf's height. "Heya, Amaris. I was wondering where you were." She greeted, and Amaris set the bull disk and the black box on the ground.

_"Jayden wanted you to have them, the bull disk is the only way to tame the bullzord."_ Amaris explained, and Brooke picked up the disk and the black box, her eyes flashing.

"Well, could've gotten these yesterday, but better late than never- _shit,"_ Brooke cut herself off, slowly rising to her feet at the smell of nighlok. "Cody! Here, it's for the bullzord. I know you can do it." She threw the white disk in Cody's direction, who caught it. He looked skeptical and opened his mouth to speak, but was stopped by Crustor entering the cockpit.

"Your times are up, guardian and silver ranger. Get out of the way, I'm taking the bullzord!" Crustor demanded, pointing its sword at Brooke, who narrowed her, now gold, eyes and flipped open her samuraizer. "And I'll use it to destroy your world!" The nighlok threatened, and Brooke scoffed.

Holding her open samuraizer in one hand and the black box in another, she threw her samuraizer in the air and caught it, pointing it at Crustor. "That's a lofty threat, let's see if you can see it through! _It's showtime!"_ Brooke challenged, activating the brush portion of samuraizer and morphing into her suit quickly. "Amaris, make sure Cody's safe, I'm going to make this bastard go through hell and back! _Super Samurai Mode!"_ She thrust the black box forward, pressing a small button on top of the talisman.

The Wolfe family crest appeared in silver, and then dissolved, forming the forked cape that the rangers usually wore in Super Samurai Mode. However, instead of being white with gold trim, it was black with silver trim, and the Wolfe family crest replaced the Shiba Clan's crest on the left and back of the cape. The silver ranger instantly felt a burst of power shoot through her body, and it seemed like adrenaline was in her bloodstream. She grinned underneath her helmet, drawing her Wolf Kunai and taking the super samurai disk out of the black box, sliding it on the weapon. Attaching the black box to the hilt of the Wolf Kunai, she rushed forward, and the battle began.

Any fatigue she felt was gone, and Brooke now understood why Jayden went on power-trips when he used new disks. It was fun, and the nighlok was already on the weaker side anyway, so it was easy to land a couple of strikes and kick Crustor back. "I believe in you, Cody! So you gotta believe in yourself, okay? You can do this!" She called to Cody, dodging a nighlok's swing and returning with her own attack. "Use your symbol power and save your friend!"

Brooke didn't even have to think, and she enjoyed that immensely. Her head was still pounding thanks to the concussion, but other than that, she felt fine. She glanced over at Cody, who drew a symbol with his samuraizer- well, it was just a _brush,_ and activated it. However, the red symbol just shattered on impact with the stone pillar, where the bull disk was now attached. "You can do it, it's alright! Symbol power is just annoying like that, you've got this!" Brooke reassured Cody, pushing Crustor back.

The blade of the Wolf Kunai lit up silver, and Brooke spun the weapon in her hand, rushing towards Crustor again. The black forked cape flew behind her as she did so, and she jumped upwards, landing a strong downwards strike on the nighlok. That, ironically, was the finishing move, as it was usually how Jayden started battles, and she saw a bright flash of red, the bull disk turning red.

"You did it, Cody! Great job!" Brooke praised, the silver ranger running over and stopping in front of him.

"No, _we did it._ We're friends." Cody corrected, holding out the red bull disk, and Brooke laughed, taking the disk in her gloved hand.

"That we are. Let's see what ancestor wants to talk to me today." Brooke joked, opening the black box from where it was attached to her Wolf Kunai. Placing the bull disk into the black box, she shut it, spinning the super samurai disk.

A projection of what was the silver ranger Grand Shogun appeared, looking identical to the wooden statue in Cody's house. Cody made a noise of awe, and Amaris instantly perked up, her tail wagging happily and her violet eyes shining with joy. Brooke smiled underneath her helmet at that, a certain feeling of pride filling her chest. She felt accomplished, like she had fulfilled part of her destiny. That this was what she was meant to do from the start, she was the silver ranger. She was a soldier, but that was alright because that was who she was meant to be.

_"Congratulations, silver ranger. You have summoned the power of your ancestors, now and forever, our power is your power. Let the wolves run with you."_ The Grand Shogun spoke, her voice full of pride and ringing through the cockpit of the bullzord. The projection of the Grand Shogun disappeared, and so did Cody's adrenaline.

"Cody!" Brooke exclaimed, dropping her Wolf Kunai and catching him before he could fall. She set Cody on the ground, and Amaris was at his side, nuzzling his cheek. "It's time for you to go home, you've done great. I just want you safe." She advised, and Cody nodded, burying a hand in Amaris' fur.

"I understand and thank you. For believing in me and the bullzord, and being my friend." Cody thanked, and Brooke kneeled in front of him, picking up her Wolf Kunai and wearing a wide smile underneath her helmet.

"Of course, I'm happy to be your friend," Brooke beamed, then turning her attention to Amaris. "You know what to do, thanks for everything." She thanked, scratching behind the white wolf's ears.

_"You are very welcome, my dear,"_ Amaris replied, her voice full of joy. With that, she and Cody disappeared in a flash of silver, leaving the silver ranger alone in the cockpit.

Hearing a loud thud outside, Brooke concluded that Crustor was now in its second form. The dirt and stone crumbled away, revealing the traditional cockpit of a zord, and her eyes flashed when they landed on the Shiba Clan's crest. "Well, we're changing history today, it seems. _Megamode Power: Bullzord Transformation!"_ She called and changed into her megamode suit in a flash of silver. The black from the cape mixed in with her silver megamode suit, giving it black shoulder pads.

Her silver boots were silent against the floor of the cockpit, and she walked up to the control panel, folding up her megablade. Brooke stuck it into the slot, raising her chin slightly as she grinned underneath her helmet. _"Bull Megazord: Armed for Battle!"_ She called, pointing forward triumphantly. "Looks like your threats were just empty after all, nighlok!" She mocked, glancing down at the ground for a moment, and broke into a smile when she saw the rest of the team.

"Be that as it may, but not even a bull can stand up to my _Blazing Fire Storm!_ " Crustor threatened, shooting out fire that lit some of the forest ablaze.

The bull megazord just ran through the flames and socked Crustor in the face, which felt strangely satisfying. It let out yells of protest, but Brooke just chose to ignore them. _"Shoulder Blasters!"_ She called, and the bull megazord shot blasts out of its shoulders, which hit the nighlok and caused it to fall. However, it got onto its feet again quickly, laughing, and Brooke narrowed her eyes.

"This'll shut you up quickly! _Shogun Mode!"_ Brooke challenged, and her suit changed. Her megamode suit turned into the suit the silver Grand Shogun was wearing, and she was right. The shogun suit was heavier than her normal one, but Brooke figured it was a "megamode only" sort of thing. _"Power of the Ancestors!"_ She finished, taking her megablade out of the control panel. She unfolded it as the bull disk powered up, attaching the black box to the end of it, and Brooke spun her megablade in her hand once. _"Revolving Laser Blaster: Final Strike!"_ Thrusting her megablade forward, the silver ranger grinned under her (rather heavy) helmet as Crustor went up in an explosion with a yell.

This time Brooke didn't even have to mouth along to the final line, and she found herself smiling as she said the words. _"Samurai Rangers: Victory is Ours."_ She stated, and with that, the battle was over.

* * *

"Aw man, why does Brooke get to have the fancy Super Samurai Mode?" Mike complained as Brooke appeared on the ground in a flash of silver, in front of the demorphed team. The black cape fluttered behind her, and honestly, she just wanted to show off for a minute.

Laughing at Mike's complaints, she performed a bow, demorphing, and tossing the black box to Jayden. "I'm glad to see you guys." Brooke greeted, wearing a lopsided grin, and the six noticed how unkempt she actually was. The only thing that was partially clean was the leather jacket she wore, remnants of a bloody nose and dirt caked on her face.

"We're happy to have you back!" Emily cheered, and Brooke smiled at the younger girl's enthusiasm.

"Nice job of taking care of the nighlok." Antonio praised, patting Brooke on the back, who snickered.

"Yeah, well, I like doing Red's job for him. Really fun, got a sock a nighlok in a face with a zord and camp out in said zord. Good times," Brooke joked, holding the red bull disk between two of her fingers. When Jayden moved to take it, she snatched it away, laughing as he rolled his eyes. "Happy to see you, Red. Thanks for the black box." She thanked, motioning to the black box in his hand with a nod. She held out the bull disk again, and this time, she let him take it.

"Happy to have you back," Jayden replied, the black box and bull disk disappearing in a flurry of red particles. The team started walking back to Cody's house, the silver and red rangers trailing behind, how they usually did. "I missed you." He mumbled, barely audible, but Brooke still picked up on it due to her wolf hearing.

"I was gone for like, _a_ _night._ But," Brooke teased, reaching out and grabbing his hand with her own. She and Jayden intertwined fingers, and she felt his thumb rub small circles on the back of her hand. "I missed you too." She finished, and she really wanted to give him a hug. But, she smelt like dirt and sweat, so that was out of the question. Jayden hummed in response, and the two walked in comfortable silence for a moment.

Mia then turned around, noticing their intertwined hands. She said nothing on the topic, only wearing a small smile. "Brooke," She called, and Brooke quirked a brow at her, grey eyes flashing. "Amaris said something about blunt force trauma, I can do a concussion test when we get home." She offered, and Brooke nodded.

"Sounds good, thanks. Brain's kinda fuzzy at the moment," Brooke thanked, then turning her attention to Antonio. "Hey, Goldie? Can you make uh..." Pulling her phone out of her pocket, she glanced at the time. It was still kind of early, actually, only being around eleven. "Lunch when we get home?" She asked, and Antonio nodded with a smile.

"Yeah, I can." Antonio agreed, and Brooke let out a quiet cheer, flashing him a thankful smile.

"Can't wait for a shower and a nap," Brooke muttered, letting out a yawn, and Jayden laughed faintly, ruffling her hair. _Dirt_ fell out of it, and they both collectively cringed, Brooke's eyes flashing. "My point stands." She joked, and Jayden rolled his eyes with a smile.

"I can stay with you tonight, if you want." Jayden offered, his voice barely above a whisper. He knew if the others heard him, he wouldn't be able to live it down, and last night was bad enough. He didn't want to spend the rest of the war being teased about his childhood crush. He didn't want to spend the rest of the war with Brooke _just_ being his crush, either.

Speaking of, she nodded in response to his offer, tightening her grip on his hand. That caused Jayden to break into a happy smile- because he always enjoyed having Brooke in his arms. It was a nice feeling, being able to hold someone, even if Amaris crushed his legs. He concluded that the white wolf was slowly trying to get her half of the bed back, and crushing him in the process to do so. The beds in the Shiba House weren't exactly _made_ for two people and a wolf, but they made do with the situation. It was still domestic, in a sense, even if their "dog" was a wolf made out of symbol power. It was nice.

However, the fear of Ji finding out was also a possibility, and Jayden didn't know _what_ would happen in that regard. They weren't doing anything _bad_ , because that would spell disaster, not that he's thought about it or anything like that. That totally wasn't the case. Still, he knew his mentor was getting more strict about the "keep personal feelings out of the mission" rule, and if Jayden got caught, it probably wouldn't end well. He was scared of breaking rules, that was pretty much the only thing holding him back from kissing Brooke, so he knew he had to be careful. However, it was a risk he was happy to take if it meant holding her in his arms.

* * *

"Hope we're not interrupting," Jayden called to Cody and his father, who were having a quiet conversation on their porch. He and Brooke had dropped hands, and now she just stood next to him, offering Cody a smile, which he returned.

Amaris was laying a couple of feet away from them, asleep, but her violet eyes instantly opened at the sound of Jayden's voice. She spotted Brooke, getting up quickly and bounding over to her, who crouched down and started petting her. Her silver and white tail wagged happily, and she licked Brooke's cheek in a greeting, regret instantly overcoming her features. She wrinkled her snout back in disgust, and Brooke laughed.

"That one's on you- and she's gone," Brooke muttered, watching Amaris disappear in a flash of silver. She shook her head with a smile at that, rising from her crouch as Cody and his father made their way over.

"We wanted to say goodbye before we took off," Mike explained, fist-bumping Cody.

"Thanks to you, we now have a new weapon go fight the nighlok with." Kevin thanked, and Mia nodded, wearing a gentle smile.

"And now you can return to your normal life," Mia added, and Cody looked almost _offended._

Still, he had an enthusiastic smile on his face as he spoke. "As if!" Cody blurted, walking towards the team. "I want to help you guys a lot more, and I have some _epic_ new ideas! First of all-" He started, but Brooke cut him off by placing a hand on his shoulder. She saw light brown hair and green eyes, and the smile Maxx used to wear when he was thirteen. She saw her _little brother._

"Listen, Maxx- Cody. Cody," Brooke corrected herself quickly, her eyes flashing. Her vision cleared, and she saw Cody standing in front of her again, him wearing a confused look. "My little brother, you remind me of him a lot, my bad," She apologized, letting out a nervous laugh. "As I was saying, you've done enough for a while, and you did great. Get some rest, you deserve it," She then made a noise of surprise when Cody wrapped her in a tight hug. Still, she returned it, blinking away tears that formed. He stepped away, and Brooke drew in a shaky breath. "We'll probably need your expertise soon, so you need your strength for that. We could always use help from a friend." She stated, and Cody beamed, nodding. With that, the team said their goodbyes, starting their walk back to the Shiba House.

* * *

Once they reached the main gates that led into the Shiba House, Jayden grabbed Brooke's wrist. She stopped on her tracks, quirking a brow at him, and he wore a small smile as he spoke. "First of all, the big sister complex." He teased, and Brooke huffed, averting her gaze. Her eyes flashed, settling on grey-gold, and he watched as her claws and canines grew in slightly, peeking out from under her upper lip.

"Shut up," Brooke grumbled, but her voice became much softer as she spoke again. "My brain's not working right, and I- I saw Maxx for a moment. When we got to Mary's, he had this smile on his face- I haven't seen him wear it since. Cody has the same sorta smile, it's full of energy and _happy._ " She mumbled, her voice cracking, and she still didn't make eye contact with Jayden. She knew she would cry if she did that.

She almost cried when he wrapped her into a hug. The smell of spice and smoke soon became all Brooke smelt, and she wasn't complaining. She felt as Jayden buried a hand in her hair, his other arm wrapped around her waist. "I'm disgusting, Red. I'm not sure you wanna hug me right now." She joked, but she still wrapped her arms around him.

"I'm proud of you," Jayden announced, and Brooke tightened her hold on him. "I mean it. I'm proud of you- as both the red ranger _and Jayden._ I'm so happy you're in my life." He praised, feeling as she started shaking, and he felt her claws prick at his skin through his shirt.

"Shut- shut up," Brooke choked back a sob, feeling as tears started rolling down her cheeks. "I'm not- I... I don't know. Just... just don't let go." She sobbed, and Jayden spotted Ji.

He was walking towards the gates, presumably getting ready to catch the two doing _something_. However he stopped in his tracks when he heard Brooke crying, and Ji shot Jayden a look of worry. He shook his head in response, mouthing "ten minutes, please". To his surprise, his mentor nodded, walking away from the pair.

Jayden tightened his grip on Brooke, who was still sobbing. She was shaking, the hold she had on him almost restricting his breathing, but he didn't mind much. "I'll be here, for as long as you want me," He vowed, and she didn't respond directly, only crying harder. "I'm not going anywhere. I'll fight by your side as long as you want me to." _I love you, Brooke._


	28. concerts and jewelry stores

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jayden doesn't know what to do when Brooke's got a concussion and he's overanalyzing everything she says. The despair symbol is also causing its fair share of problems, but Brooke tries to ignore it when she sees her best friend for the first time in months.

As Jayden held Brooke in his arms, he realized that this was becoming a habit. Her crying and him comforting her, but he wasn't complaining. He felt the need to- especially now, since his praise was now causing her to cry on his shoulder. Which he felt bad about, and he almost felt  _ sympathetic.  _ It was the fact that she received so little praise, and probably thought negatively about herself, and that made his heart hurt. It didn't sit right with him, and he meant every word he said to her. However, if Jayden told Brooke that, he had a feeling that it would make her cry more. So he didn't, and just let her cry. He didn't even know how long it had been, but he had a feeling Ji would just materialize at the ten-minute mark and give him a disappointed look. 

As if on cue, Jayden heard footsteps crunching across the gravel. Mentally preparing himself for the disappointed look of the day, he looked up and was pleasantly surprised to see Antonio walking towards him and Brooke. Who had stopped crying, but she was still shaking, and her hold on Jayden didn't loosen. She knew she should probably let him go because she was still covered in dirt and sweat, but she didn't want to. She also felt bad for the fact that his overcoat was now damp because of her tears- but he also brought it on himself. So she didn't feel  _ too  _ bad, but she silently thanked Jayden for not just walking away. 

"What did you do now, Jayden?" Antonio playfully wondered, and Brooke sniffled, letting out a watery laugh.

She let go of Jayden, stepping back and turning to face Antonio. Who saw her tear-stained cheeks, the tear tracks cutting through the dirt, and quirked a brow at his other childhood friend. "Everything. Red's just horrible- I hate him." Brooke joked, snickering as the ranger in question rolled his eyes. 

"I did nothing." Jayden defended himself, raising his hands slightly. He met Antonio's quizzical look with his own raised eyebrow one, the gold ranger sighing and turning his attention to the silver. 

"What did he do to you? You have permission to hit him." Antonio offered, grinning when Jayden glared at him. 

"While that's tempting, not feeling up to it right now," Brooke laughed, wiping away some stray tears and sniffling. "He told me he was proud of me- which this jackass knows makes me cry." Her voice cracked as she pointed an accusatory finger at Jayden for emphasis, who had raised his eyebrows at the "jackass" comment. However he heard her voice crack and waver, so he grabbed her hand with his own, giving it a comforting squeeze. 

"It makes you cry?" Antonio echoed, his playful expression turning into one of sympathy and slight concern. When Brooke nodded, he let out a low whistle. "Are you okay? Fully?" He asked, and Brooke's eyes flashed. 

"I don't know, I'll get back to you on that. But," Brooke drew in a shaky breath, tightening her grip on Jayden's hand, turning her attention to him. "Thanks for staying. Even if you made me cry." She thanked, and Jayden wore a fond smile as he brushed some of her hair out of her face. 

"It's the least I can do," Jayden replied, the three starting to walk in the direction of the Shiba House. "Antonio, did Ji send you out here?" He questioned, and Antonio shot him a quizzical look but nodded. 

"Yeah, how'd you know?" Antonio wondered, knitting his brows, and that caused Jayden to wonder if he should even tell him. He'd know the gold ranger  _ wouldn't  _ let him live it down. 

However, Brooke didn't seem to mind throwing Jayden under a metaphorical bus, not that she knew that she was. "Ji's getting real, uh,  _ helicopter parent. _ He thinks that we're getting too close to each other. It would be funny if I wasn't a part of it." She explained, and Antonio snickered, shooting Jayden a teasing look. 

"You two are horrible. I don't know how I put up with both of you for so long." Jayden complained in faux annoyance, Brooke looking almost offended. 

_ "Take that back!  _ You're the one who made me cry!" Brooke huffed, puffing out her cheeks as her eyes flashed. When Jayden didn't reply, only raising his eyebrows and wearing a small smile, she rolled her eyes. "Fuck you." She grumbled, Antonio watched this go down, making eye contact with Jayden. 

_ I wouldn't be opposed to,  _ Jayden thought, then almost screaming as soon as that thought formed in his mind. He just ignored the heat rising to his face and the tips of his ears, praying neither Brooke nor Antonio decided to make fun of him. "Where'd your filter go? You're a lot snarkier right now." Jayden pointed out, cringing at the stutter in his voice. Which Antonio laughed at, and he shot the gold ranger a glare in retaliation.

"I'm really fucking tired, and frankly, I'm not thinking right now. So, I'm sorry, and you know I don't mean it," Brooke apologized, letting go of Jayden's hand when the three reached the back entrance, stopping before they reached the steps. "Thanks for dealing with me, the both of you. You guys are the best." She praised, hugging Antonio and quickly pressing a kiss to Jayden's cheek. With that, she entered the Shiba House, leaving her two childhood friends standing by the steps. 

"She's going to kill me," Jayden muttered, shaking his head with a small smile as his cheeks and the tips of his ears burned. He didn't mind Brooke kissing his cheek- in fact, he welcomed it, but that didn't mean he knew how to react. "But, she's not mentally all there right now." He concluded, glancing at Antonio, who wore a cheeky grin. 

"She's got you wrapped around her finger. Good luck." Antonio teased, patting Jayden on the back and then entering the Shiba House himself. 

That alone caused Jayden to sigh as he ran a hand through his hair, then pushing open the wooden doors and walking into the Shiba House. Antonio wasn't  _ wrong-  _ and Jayden didn't know how to feel about it. He knew he had to reel it in, for the main reason that Ji would scold him, and because of the mission. He knew his mentor was right in some regards, as his feelings for Brooke were getting out of hand. Still, he didn't want it to stop. He enjoyed having her around, as she and Antonio were the only people who he could actually talk to about his issues and not feel like he failed as a leader. It wasn't like he was falling behind on his training anyways, in fact, it was the  _ opposite,  _ as sometimes he trained at night with Brooke. And while it usually turned playful, they did get stuff done. So, it was fine. 

Jayden had a feeling he wouldn't be able to stay anyways. He knew Lauren would have to step in eventually and take his role as leader of the team. And that was  _ bittersweet _ . He would've fulfilled his role as pseudo red ranger, thus completing his part of the war, and that thought was freeing. But he would have to leave Brooke and Antonio- breaking the promise of "I'll always be here for you". That was upsetting, and something he didn't want to do. However, it was  _ fate,  _ and there was no use fighting against it. 

Meanwhile, Brooke couldn't be happier to take her doc martens off of her feet. She stood in the shower as she did so, as a way to keep the dirt somewhat contained. Which she was glad she did because as she pulled her shoe off of her foot, a small mound of dirt fell out of it. Still, it caused her to sigh, because the amount of dirt that fell out was much more than she expected. Which was annoying, but could be dealt with. 

After getting undressed and getting all of the dirt out of the shower, Brooke then took a shower herself. Which was great, as she finally smelt like something other than dirt and sweat. As she watched the dirt and soap flow down the drain, she tried to organize her thoughts. Which was rather difficult, because she wasn't processing much anymore, everything just being hazy blurs instead of the things that she should remember. Summing it up to the concussion mixed with exhaustion, Brooke turned off the water and got out of the shower, slowly getting dressed. Her outfit wasn't anything extraordinary, just a pair of Adidas sweatpants and a grey t-shirt. 

As she walked out of her bathroom, she spotted Jayden's hoodie  _ and  _ flannel, Amaris laying on the two articles of clothing. Brooke debated wearing one of them, but even with her brain being fuzzy, she knew the team wouldn't leave her alone about it. So, she decided against it, just petting the fur in between Amaris' ears. The white wolf cracked open a violet eye at that, her tail wagging slowly and rustling the blankets. 

"Heya, Amaris," Brooke greeted softly, sitting on the side of her bed. "I bet you're tired, huh?" She mused, and as if on cue, Amaris yawned. Even her canines were dull, meaning she couldn't attack even if she tried. 

_ "Exhaustion is one of the emotions that the holders of the moon disk and I share. I feel fatigued when you do, and that is a common occurrence, my dear. Make sure to be taking proper care of yourself."  _ Amaris advised, Brooke smiling weakly. 

"Yeah, I know. But, I'm gonna eat then go to bed," Brooke thought aloud, ruffling Amaris' fur before standing. She stretched her arms over her head, letting out a yawn, then slipping on her vans. "Love you, Amaris." She murmured, watching as the white wolf's violet eyes sparkled with joy. 

_ "I love you too, my dear,"  _ Amaris replied, and Brooke felt a genuine smile growing on her face as she left her room. 

* * *

After getting a concussion test, which she did have one, Brooke sat at the table in the outdoor dojo. Jayden was next to her, and the team was present, but she didn't talk very much, because who knows what she would say without a filter. She was starting to get to the point where she could barely be awake, even with the sounds of the team talking. The only reason she had been awake was that she was hungry, and now that she ate (a lot, Antonio teasing her about it), her body was deciding to clock out. Brooke didn't blame herself for it, and the smell of Jayden's cologne was so  _ fucking intoxicating  _ that she wanted to sleep on his shoulder. If she wasn't around the team, she probably would. He probably wouldn't mind. 

"Hey, Brooke. I have a question for ya," Mike's voice snapped Brooke out of her half-asleep haze, and she quirked a brow, her eyes flashing. "Do you have a boyfriend?" He asked, and with that, the table went  _ silent,  _ which was __ new. 

Brooke blinked slowly, trying to process the question. Her mind was fuzzy, and she was too tired and sore for this. "Uh, if I heard you correctly, no. I'm not dating anyone- I mean I've dated people in the past, but that's it. Why?" She wondered, her eyes flashing as she played with her now empty cup. She wasn't flustered or anything like that, she was just  _ confused.  _

"The guy on your lockscreen." Mike quickly replied, and Emily shot him a look that was telling him to "be nice". Meanwhile, Brooke knit her brows, her eyes flashing multiple times. 

"The guy… on my lockscreen?" Brooke echoed, somewhat slapping her thigh to check to see if her phone was in her pocket. It was, and she unzipped her pocket, pulling it out and turning it on.  _ Christ,  _ she thought as her brain lagged in trying to process her thoughts. She scanned her lockscreen, taking in Casper's traditional curly hair and wide smile. "You mean Casper? He's my best friend, well, one of them," Her gaze flickered to Antonio and Jayden for a moment, who both smiled faintly, and then back to her lockscreen. "I've known him since I've had memories, pretty much. We've grown up together- he's from Greensbrook, and his mom provided Maxx and me a place to stay when I couldn't stay at home 'cause of James. He's not my boyfriend, wouldn't dream of it, honestly. He's pretty much a second brother." She explained, shutting her phone off and setting it on the wooden table. The exhaustion returned at full force, and she discreetly reached for Jayden's hand. 

Which he let her grab, Jayden offering Brooke a small smile. Which she returned with her own, which was laced with exhaustion. He didn't even feel jealous, and that was great. He knew he had no reason to be- and his mind had finally caught on to the fact. 

"If you guys have any questions, I can answer 'em," Brooke yawned, revealing her longer canines, but quickly stifling it with her hand. "But, he's just a friend. I understand why'd you think that though, I could tell which people had trust issues  _ very quickly."  _ She added, the six other rangers peering at her quizzically. 

"Trust issues?" Emily echoed, and Brooke nodded. 

Something in her mind was telling her to shut up, and Brooke knew she probably should. However, the exhaustion and concussion blocked out that thought quickly. "Mhm. Guy I used to date was not happy that I was friends with Casper. It turned into a fight, which didn't really end well. High school was fun," She explained nonchalantly, waving her free hand in dismissal. Before the team could even process what she said, she let go of Jayden's hand, sliding off of her seat. "Anyways, that's enough of that. I'm going to bed, goodnight." She called over her shoulder as she walked back into the Shiba House. 

She quickly made her way back into her room, shutting the door behind her. Amaris instantly woke up at the sound, the white wolf looking rather happy that Brooke returned. "Heya, Amaris. I'm going to bed, so I'm going to need some space." She stated, kicking off her vans and pulling her shirt over her head. 

Changing out her Adidas sweatpants for running shorts, Brooke shrugged on Jayden's flannel, making a noise of contentment. Getting into bed, she pulled the white comforter and grey blanket around herself- and it felt great to be in bed. Throwing an arm around Amaris and burying a hand in her fur, Brooke quickly found herself falling asleep. 

* * *

Brooke woke up to a hand brushing her cheek, and while she would usually slap the hand away, she didn't. Instead, she cracked open a grey eye, taking in Jayden's features. He looked happy, his fingertips barely brushing against her skin- but she could still feel the affection behind the action. He was warm, per usual, and the smell of spice and smoke was clouding her already hazy brain. She wanted him to hold her and not let go anytime soon. "Heya, Red." Brooke greeted with a yawn, opening her eyes fully. 

"Hey, you. Sorry about waking you up, I just didn't want to startle you," Jayden apologized, his voice soft. He was crouched at Brooke's bedside, feeling as a hand reached out, somewhat patting him on the top of his head. "I take it you're still somewhat out of it." He concluded, Brooke making an incomprehensible noise in response, her hand falling from the top of his head and back onto the blankets. 

"Sleep with me," Brooke begged, and she realized she said something wrong by the way Jayden seemed to freeze. Embarrassment mixed with an emotion that she was too tired to figure out radiated off of him in waves, and she cycled back on what she just said. "Oh," She blurted, realization dawning on her features. Spurring her brain into working, Brooke forced herself to sit up, her body screaming in protest as she did so. "I didn't mean it that way-  _ shit.  _ I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable." She apologized quickly, her eyes flashing multiple times as heat rose to her face.  _ Well, yikes. This is starting out great.  _

A nervous laugh fell from Jayden's lips as he tried to gather his thoughts so he didn't say something he would regret. "No… no, it's fine. I understood what you meant." He reassured Brooke, hearing as she let out a sigh of relief. Then scanning the bed, Jayden noticed that Amaris was in his usual spot, her staring at him in a silent challenge. 

"Ah, Amaris, don't be like that," Brooke chided, noticing the staring contest between the white wolf and the red ranger. It was  _ cute,  _ but Amaris didn't seem to think so, her looking somewhat disgruntled as she moved from her spot. She curled into a ball at Brooke's feet, who wore a weary smile. "Thanks, I love you." She thanked, and Amaris' ears flicked. 

_ "I love you too, my dear,"  _ Amaris replied, her violet eyes falling on Jayden again. Getting into bed fully, he reached over and scratched behind her ears, it acting as a silent apology for taking her spot. 

"This bed's not big enough," Brooke complained, instantly scooting closer to Jayden and resting her head on his shoulder. She felt as a warm arm snaked around her waist, underneath the flannel she was wearing and resting at her hip. Which wasn't very hard to do, as she didn't even button it before getting into bed. She never did, it acted as a silent invitation for Jayden to just  _ touch her.  _ Brooke liked the feeling of his hands on her skin, and she made a quiet noise of contentment as he traced the outline of the azaleas that were tattooed on her side. "I know I've said this before, but, you're warm, and it's nice. I like you holding me." She murmured, and Jayden felt a smile grow on his lips. 

"I like holding you," Jayden replied, and this time he didn't even stutter. It was the smoothest delivery he's done in a while, but not that Brooke really cared. He knew she didn't, because she always smiled at him as he tripped over his words, but  _ still.  _ It caused something akin to pride to swell in his chest. "Amaris keeps laying on me- don't look at me like that, you know it's true." He cut himself off, blue eyes meeting violet. 

Amaris was staring at him, not saying anything, but it got the message across. Jayden also had a feeling she wouldn't stop anytime soon, until they were in a bed that  _ fit  _ two rangers and a wolf. Which was something that probably wouldn't happen until the war is over, but he wanted Brooke by his side when that happens. He wanted to get to the point where they were sharing a bed together and were out of the Shiba House. Well, first he had to actually  _ confess  _ to her, and that was the hard part, but, he'll figure it out. Jayden had a feeling Brooke wouldn't say no, but he still wanted to make it nice. Somehow. Right now he just basked in the feeling of her falling asleep on his shoulder. 

"I'm gonna… let Amaris lay on you. That means you have to stay longer," Brooke declared in a sleepy voice with a yawn, her brain shutting off any rational thought process. "Did I ever tell you that you smell really fucking good, like- I dunno if it's just because you mean a lot to me and it's just a wolf thing, but, you do. It's almost intoxicating, and I- I love it. I can't explain it, but I do. A lot, and if I had to pick only one scent to smell for the rest of my life, it would be yours. I want you to just- I dunno. I want  _ you."  _ She rambled, and Jayden felt his heart stop, then go into overtime. He didn't expect Brooke to just ramble on about how he smelt, and for her rambling to make him flustered. 

_ I want you.  _ Her voice echoed in his head, and Jayden __ stopped himself before he said "I want you too" and things instantly went south. He tried to find the right words to say, mentally screaming at himself for the fact that Brooke had said three things that his brain deemed sexual. Which they  _ weren't,  _ and _ he knew that.  _ He also knew that she wasn't thinking straight, so he shouldn't take her words at full value. 

"I'm sorry- I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I know that's a weird topic." Brooke apologized, snapping Jayden out of his thoughts. He instantly felt bad and shook his head quickly. 

"No, you're okay. Sorry, I was just thinking," Jayden reassured Brooke quickly, his hand now just resting on her side. Maybe Ji was right- she was getting into his head too much, he knew he had to stop overanalyzing every word she said before he did something stupid. Still, he didn't want to leave her side. "I like listening to you ramble, honestly,"  _ I like you.  _ "It makes me happy that you think of me." He remarked, Brooke lifting her head from his shoulder. 

"Well,  _ duh doy.  _ If I didn't like you or think of you, I wouldn't let you in my bed," Brooke replied, laying down fully with a yawn. "C'mere, I'm tired." She urged, and Jayden laughed but obliged. 

Once he laid down fully, Brooke instantly latched herself onto his side. It was a routine they've done many times before, and Jayden always enjoyed it. His hand was buried in her hair, aimlessly twirling some of the black strands around his finger. She quickly fell asleep to that, Jayden wearing a small smile as her breathing slowed. He wanted to stay like this, and he reminded himself that they could after they won the war. Which still seemed ways away, despite the months the team has been fighting the nighlok.

He wanted to  _ protect her,  _ just like he did when they were kids. Except for this time, it was far more dangerous, but Jayden didn't mind. "I'll always be here for you." He vowed to Brooke's sleeping figure, his voice quiet, and he hoped that he could see that vow through. However, he didn't think about that for long, he just focused on now, and now it was peaceful. 

Waking up some hours later, Brooke stifled a yawn with her hand. Glancing at the digital clock on her desk- it being about three in the morning, she bit back a groan. She didn't feel tired anymore, just groggy, and she realized she got almost twelve hours of sleep, which was something that usually  _ never happened.  _ Amaris and __ Jayden were a different story, the white wolf laying on top of the red ranger's legs, much to Brooke's amusement. The two were still deeply asleep, and Brooke smiled faintly. It was as if they were a family, even if the family was two samurai rangers and a wolf made out of symbol power. It was a nice thought to have. 

Rolling over on her side, Brooke grabbed her phone off of her nightstand. Pulling her grey blanket over her head, she turned it on, squinting at the sudden brightness. Turning it and her volume down, she unlocked her phone, opening her messaging app. To her surprise, Casper was online, but she wasn't complaining about it. Texting out a message, Brooke watched in amusement as the typing bubble instantly popped up. 

After texting Casper for a bit, Brooke set her phone on her nightstand, turning her attention to Jayden when she heard blankets rustling. Her first thought was that he was having a nightmare, but she was pleasantly surprised to see Amaris laying on his chest. He had woken up because of the extra weight, and Brooke watched in amusement as he tried to shove the white wolf off of him. It wasn't working very well, as violet eyes full of mischief were just staring at him in a silent challenge. After about thirty seconds, Jayden gave up, letting out a heavy sigh.

"Amaris,  _ why?  _ You don't crush Brooke," Jayden pointed out, then noticing that the ranger in question wasn't latched onto his side anymore. Which he was partly disappointed and partly worried, but he quickly made out her figure in the dark. "Everything okay?" He asked, trying to roll on his side. However, Amaris was somewhat crushing him, preventing him from doing so, and that caused him to let out a groan. 

"Yeah, just couldn't really sleep," Brooke answered, then turning her attention to Amaris. "Don't crush Red, I would like it if he actually wants to come back." She remarked, patting the blankets by her feet. 

Instead of moving, Amaris disappeared in a flash of silver, Jayden letting out a sigh of relief. He could finally move  _ and breathe,  _ again, taking his chance to roll over on his side. Saying nothing, he reached out and cradled Brooke's face in his hand, stroking her cheek with his thumb. He felt as she nuzzled into his touch, which was  _ definitely  _ a wolf thing, but something he found cute. "You're-" He started, but was cut off by a flash of silver and the sound of the blankets rustling. 

Amaris had returned, and now that Jayden was laying on his side, she had ample room to lay down. Which she instantly did, bounding over to her spot and curling up into a ball, but her violet eyes were trained on Jayden, shining with victory. 

"She wants to protect you." Jayden mused, and Amaris said nothing on the matter, but her ears did flick in agreement. 

"Goodnight, Amaris. I love you," Brooke called to the white wolf before turning her attention to Jayden again. "I'm happy you're here, even when she crushes you." She teased, Jayden rolling his eyes in response. 

"I can hold you better now, so something good did come out of it." He replied with a yawn, pulling Brooke into what almost seemed like a hug. Their faces were only a couple of inches apart from each other, and before Jayden could make a move to kiss Brooke's forehead, she rolled over. Her back was facing him now, and she could feel the slight annoyance radiating off of him. 

"You're cute, but I can't sleep face-to-face with someone. It scares me when I wake up," Brooke explained teasingly, and she enjoyed the feeling of her back pressed against Jayden's chest. His arms were loosely wrapped around her stomach, but she didn't feel trapped. She felt safe. "Is this okay?" She added, her voice soft, Jayden nodding. 

"Yeah, this is great. I'm happy I can hold you like this," Jayden murmured, that being the second delivery of the night he didn't mess up. Which was more than usual, actually, and he was rather proud of himself for it. "Goodnight, Brooke." He stated, and it wasn't long before he fell asleep again, Brooke smiling to herself. 

"G'night, Red. I love you, with all the stars and the moon." Brooke declared, but her voice was barely audible. She just hoped she could convey it in other ways, and, soon enough, she could tell him "I love you" to his face. 

* * *

The next morning, everything was relatively back to normal. Mia had told Brooke to stop working on the despair symbol so she didn't worsen her concussion, and while she didn't enjoy it, she knew the pink ranger was right. So Brooke now sat on her usual stool in the kitchen, eating some fruit and aimlessly scrolling through social media on her phone. Graduation- what was supposed to be hers if she didn't graduate early, was coming up, and she wanted to somehow make time to see Casper graduate. She felt the need to, as they went through half of middle school and almost all of high school together. She also felt somewhat jealous, as if it weren't for the war,  _ she would be  _ walking __ across the stage. 

Even after months of fighting, the dream of having a normal life was still there. Running a clawed hand over her face, Brooke sighed, knowing that the dream was all for nothing. It couldn't be reached, at least not anytime soon. However, she shook those thoughts out of her head when she heard footsteps walking into the kitchen. It was Mike's, and her thought was confirmed when the smell of his cologne hit her nose. It was  _ woody-  _ somewhat of a forest, but, in Brooke's mind, Jayden's was far better. But that may be just biased. 

"Hey, Mike. G'morning." Brooke greeted without turning around, Mike jumping in surprise. 

"Shit, I can really never get used to that. Good morning, Miss Werewolf," Mike greeted, Brooke spinning around in her stool  _ just  _ to shoot him a deadpan expression at the nickname. However, she stopped herself, she and Mike sharing a quizzical look at the faint sounds of a guitar playing. "Uh, you hear that too, right?" He asked, and Brooke nodded. 

"Yeah, I can," Brooke agreed, sliding off of her stool and silently walking into the main part of the Shiba House, Mike shadowing her. "Odd question, but, does anybody play guitar?" She wondered, Emily and Jayden stopping their sparring match, the yellow and red rangers presumably hearing the guitar as well. 

The four rangers, plus Ji, all made their way onto the front stoop to find the source of the music. Which, in actuality, wasn't bad, as the boy- who had black hair that was almost styled into a fringe, and wore a leather jacket, seemed to know what he was doing. He also seemed to be in his own little world, which was endearing. 

"Uh," Jayden cleared his throat, getting the boy's attention, who stopped playing his guitar. "Can we help you?" He asked, and the boy stood up, a wide smile on his face. 

"Hey guys, the name's Terry. I'm Mia's brother." The boy, Terry, introduced himself, and the four rangers all shared confused looks. 

Chewing on her bottom lip, Brooke knit her brows, her eyes flashing. First, because she didn't know Mia had a brother, as the pink ranger never mentioned having one. At least Brooke  _ brought up _ Maxx from time to time, but who was she to judge. It's not like she had the picture-perfect family, either, so it would be hypocritical to judge them. Second, it was because Terry seemed  _ familiar.  _ Not in the "I lost my memories about you" way, but in a sense that he's been brought up- not by Mia though. A friend of a friend kind of way. 

Still, she didn't voice that aloud, only following Mike as he led Terry into the Shiba House. The green ranger seemed excited about this turn of events, as he clapped his hands on Terry's shoulders. "You're Mia's brother." He announced, and Terry wore a small smile. 

"Yep, all my life," Terry replied, and as he looked around the Shiba House with something akin to awe sparkling in his eyes, Brooke pulled out her phone. 

She opened her messaging app, her claws tapping on the screen as she texted Casper. Brooke had come to the conclusion that her best friend knew Terry because that's how he seemed familiar. 

** Brooke:  ** _ do u know anybody named Terry?  
_ ** Brooke:  ** _ black hair, kinda in a fringe, plays guitar _

** Casper:  ** _ yea, we're both working at the children's hospital to get hours so we can get into med school  
_ ** Casper:  ** _ why? _

** Brooke:  ** _ he's Mia's little brother _

** Casper:  ** _ small fucking world damn _

"Everything okay?" Jayden asked Brooke, noticing the fact that she had gone mostly silent. 

Now, however, she wore a triumphant grin on her face as she shut off her phone. "Terry's a friend of a friend. He and Casper are doing the same program for med school, never met the guy until now, but Casper's talked about him." Brooke explained, her voice quiet, as she stuck her phone in the pocket of her leather jacket.

Jayden nodded, and he was extremely happy that the irrational jealousy didn't even start. While he's gotten better at just  _ ignoring it,  _ it was still annoying to deal with and he knew for a fact that it was, well,  _ irrational.  _ "Small world." He mused, and Brooke shook her head with a grin. 

"Preaching to the fucking choir," Brooke muttered, watching Terry with full interest. It was always interesting to see how people reacted to the Shiba House, but it's not like they got many visitors. It was only Scott and Terry. 

"So, where is my sis, anyways?" Terry asked, turning his attention to the four rangers again. 

"Oh, she's out getting groceries with Kevin," Emily answered in her usual cheerful tone, Terry breaking into a grin. 

"You're not going to let her cook, are you?" Terry questioned, walking down the steps and into the indoor dojo, taking a training sword off of the rack. "She's great with a blade… just not a kitchen knife." He teased, Brooke breaking into a grin. 

"Trust me, we know from experience," Brooke replied, her eyes flashing. "What brings you into Panorama?" She asked, tilting her head to the side slightly. 

"I'm volunteering at the children's hospital over summer break, so is a friend of mine. While he's doing the psychology behind all of it, I'm playing doctor. My parents think it will get me into med school down the road." Terry replied, and Mike peered at the guitar on his back. 

"Is there a big demand for guitar playing doctors?" Mike wondered, and Terry laughed faintly. 

"This?" Terry pointed to the guitar on his back with his thumb. "Nah, I'm also trying to put together a concert gig. While we have a lead singer, he's pretty swamped with work, so I was hoping Mia could sing." He explained, and Brooke's eyes flashed. She also remembered Casper saying something about being in a band, but that it was just for fun and nothing serious. But, it would make sense if he  _ was  _ the lead singer, as he could sing well. She also remembered the times when he used to sing her to sleep after her nightmares, Brooke recalling those memories with a smile.

Emily was instantly ecstatic over the fact that Mia sings, breaking into a wide smile. "Mia sings?" She gushed, something akin to awe in her tone.

Terry instantly brightened, nodding happily. "Oh, she was awesome! When we were little, we were going to be the world's greatest band," He beamed, but his happy mood instantly fell. "But then the whole power ranger thing." He muttered, and as if on cue, Brooke's samuraizer started beeping. 

With a sigh, she dug her samuraizer out of her pocket, flipping it open and bringing up the small map of Panorama. "The elementary school?" Brooke blurted, peering at the map skeptically, her eyes flashing. Shaking her head, she let out a quiet sigh. "Sorry, Terry. We'd love to stay, but, well…" She trailed, motioning to the gap sensor, which started blaring. 

"Don't sweat it! Go save the world, I'll just uh," Terry's eyes fell on Ji, him walking over to the older man. "Hang out with Mentor. He seems pretty cool." He stated, Brooke sending him a mock salute with two of her fingers. 

"We'll be right back!" Emily called over her shoulder, she and Jayden getting changed out of their training uniforms quickly. With that, the four rangers ran out of the Shiba House and in the direction of Panorama Elementary. 

* * *

Brooke never imagined she'd ever be fighting moogers in a school. Well, she never imagined any of this-  _ especially  _ not the guy she had feelings for calling out bad puns as he cut down moogers. Jayden even said "let's play a little five on one", which could be taken a  _ completely different  _ way without context. Still, she pushed all of her thoughts to the side and focused on fighting. As the others were taking care of moogers outside, she was running down the halls in her wolf form, sniffing out any remaining moogers. Which, there were some, but they were easy to cut down with her claws, the monsters falling with squeals. Overall, it was a relatively easy battle, which Brooke enjoyed, as she didn't want to worsen her concussion. 

It was an easy battle until wolf-Brooke skidded to a stop in the middle of the hall, her claws scratching at the tile floor. She made a move to call out to Jayden, but her words died in her throat, any confidence she had leaving her body and being replaced with fear. Her mind forcibly made her shift back into a human, her eyes widening and her face paling underneath her helmet. Standing in front of her was James Wolfe- who looked the same after two years, the same crazed look in his blue eyes. 

"No, no…" Brooke choked out, as a fresh panic took over her body. She nearly demorphed, but drew her Wolf Kunai with shaky hands, holding it at the ready. However, James was saying nothing, and she didn't know if it was a blessing or a curse. Her mind instantly flashed back to the times where she was stuck underneath his "care", and she wanted to throw up. 

_ Why was he here? Why wasn't he saying anything?  _ Brooke's chest heaved as she tightened her grip on her kunai. She squeezed her eyes shut, just praying that she didn't have a panic attack in battle. That she didn't wolf out due to said panic attack- because that wouldn't be great. She just took two hesitant steps backwards, instantly turning on her heel and breaking into a sprint. Amaris wasn't even present in her mind, which was even worse. Brooke didn't even have her emotional support wolf to calm her down, and her breaths were ragged as she tried to navigate the school. She eventually managed to do so, and it took a little bit of time, but she made it to the front doors. 

_ "...Class dismissed!"  _ She heard Jayden yell, followed by a large explosion. At least there were no more moogers to fight. 

Brooke collected her thoughts somewhat, hoping that she didn't look like she saw her abusive stepfather standing in the middle of the hallway, leaving the school. She didn't plan on saying anything, just staying quiet as she regrouped with the others. She focused on the team, all seven rangers present, since Kevin and Antonio joined the battle, and Mia was just now walking up. 

"Hey, sorry I'm late, but it looks like you handled it." Mia apologized, the seven demorphing, their ranger suits disappearing in flashes of their respective colors. 

Instantly focusing on Jayden's outfit of the day- which had a lot of grey in it, surprisingly enough, Brooke forced herself to relax. His shirt was nice, it was a darker red than what he usually wore, and while she wasn't necessarily  _ proud  _ of this thought process, it was better than her panicked state. She always liked Jayden's grey overcoat as well, and while it wasn't the most interesting thing to look at, it was nice. It was also the overcoat that Brooke had gotten tears, and blood, on so maybe it was just the emotional support overcoat as well. However, she shook her head slightly, clearing her thoughts, shoving her clawed hands into her pockets. 

"Thanks for the assist, Antonio. I'm glad you were nearby." Jayden thanked, and Antonio instantly launched into dramatics. 

"It's nice to feel needed," Antonio replied, placing a hand on his chest and wiping away a non-existent tear. Jayden and Brooke shared a look at that, the silver and red rangers getting the same idea and playfully shoving the gold ranger away from them. 

"Speaking of being needed, we're needed back at the Shiba House," Emily added, both Kevin and Mia looking at her quizzically. 

"Why? What's going on?" Kevin wondered, Mike instantly perking up and butting into the conversation. 

"Oh yeah, Mia's brother! You have to meet him, he's like this super zen guitar player!" Mike blurted, playing an acoustic air guitar for emphasis. 

Mia, however, looked skeptical, and almost  _ disappointed.  _ "My brother? With his guitar?" She questioned, and Emily nodded. 

"Yeah, and he wants you to play in his band!" Emily exclaimed joyfully, Mia instantly looking somewhat worried and hesitant about the idea. 

However, before the pink ranger could say anything, the gold ranger instantly rushed up to her. "Wait, your brother has a rock band? Sweet! I have got to meet him, I'm going to grab my guitar and I'll meet you there in a few. Don't let him leave!" Antonio called over his shoulder, running off, Brooke shaking her head with a small grin. 

With that, the team started walking back to the Shiba House, the silver and red rangers taking the lead this time. Jayden nudged Brooke's shoulder with his own, and she quirked a brow at him, her eyes flashed. "I'm surprised you don't play guitar. It seems right up your alley." He remarked, gesturing to Brooke's outfit. 

It was composed of ripped dark blue jeans that were rolled up past her ankles, fishnet stockings underneath her jeans, a grey t-shirt underneath a black leather jacket, and her military boots. Not that Jayden found that it was a bad outfit, but it screamed "alternative rock band". Brooke looked down at the outfit she was wearing and then back up at Jayden, grinning. 

"Oh, so we're  _ stereotyping  _ now?" She teased, snickering as Jayden rolled his eyes playfully in response. "But, to answer your question- I cannot play an instrument to save my life. I have tried, trust me, but I'm seemingly tone-deaf when it comes to playing an instrument. God, it's so bad," Brooke remarked, lightly punching Jayden's shoulder. "What about you? Are you a hidden virtuoso or something?" She questioned teasingly, and Jayden noticed that her playfulness seemed a little  _ too loud,  _ like she was forcing it. However, he knew it was no use in asking her about it, so he didn't bring it up. 

"I've never tried, actually. I don't really have much time to." Jayden replied, Brooke pretending to be in thought for a moment. 

"I could see you playing, like, one of the "rich kid" instruments. Like piano," Brooke thought aloud, a figurative lightbulb lighting up over her head. "The  _ violin.  _ I can picture it." She added, pointing a finger at Jayden for emphasis. Her claws were fully bared and her hands were shaking, but she tried to ignore it, only forcing her grin wider. 

Jayden noticed it and said nothing about it, just shooting her a comforting smile. Her playful façade instantly fell at that, Brooke looking stressed but relieved. She said nothing, only nodding slightly and shoving her hands into her pockets. She didn't want to drag Jayden, or the team, into more of her "mentally ill adventures", so she didn't. Brooke still couldn't feel Amaris' presence in her mind, which was somewhat concerning. Still, she forced herself not to worry about it. The white wolf was probably asleep or something like that, it was fine. 

_ It's gonna work out- like it always does,  _ Brooke reminded herself as gravel crunched underfoot, and her mood instantly brightened as grey-gold eyes fell on Amaris. Who seemed to notice her presence, the white wolf instantly hopping off the concrete bench and bounding over to Brooke. She stopped right in front of the silver ranger, looking up at her with her tail wagging faintly. 

_ "I am glad to see you are alright,"  _ Amaris greeted, Brooke crouching down and petting her.  _ "I could not read your thoughts as I usually do. I feared the worst."  _ She confessed, flattening her ears to her head and her tail drooping. 

"I'm alright, Amaris. I don't know what that was about, either," Brooke reassured Amaris, whose violet eyes shone with relief. When the rest of the team walked into the Shiba House, she spoke again, letting out a shaky sigh. "Could fear block you out from reading my thoughts?" She speculated, rising from her crouch. 

_ "Fear?"  _ Amaris echoed, her ears flicking. She seemed to be lost in thought for a couple of moments, then coming to a conclusion.  _ "I have been able to read your thoughts when you have been frightened before, my dear. Is everything alright?"  _ She asked, Brooke letting out a weak laugh as she took a seat on one of the concrete benches. 

"I saw James," Brooke muttered, Amaris hopping on the same bench. She was making a move to lay her head on Brooke's thigh, but stopped herself, her eyes sparkling with worry. "He was just… standing there. He didn't say anything- or even  _ move,  _ but it still freaked me out. I'm just trying to pretend like everything's fine because I don't want Red or the team to worry about me. I just- I don't know." She confessed, and the urge to drink crossed her mind. 

_ That  _ coping mechanism reared its ugly head, Brooke wanting nothing more to get drunk and shut off her brain. Which she knew she couldn't, for multiple reasons. Such as the fact that she wasn't living with Maxx and Mary anymore- Brooke doubted that Jayden would be pleased if she got drunk in the middle of the day. The fact that the thought crossed her mind caused her to grit her teeth. Guess quitting wasn't enough to get rid of  _ that _ addiction. 

_ "Brooke,"  _ Amaris started, and Brooke snapped her attention to her, almost gold eyes meeting violet.  _ "Those are hallucinations, this is what I was afraid of. Working on the sealing symbols- both the Shiba and the Wolfe, are able to lead to negative side effects. The one that is most present is visual and auditory hallucinations, specifically people and events that are fearful to the user of the symbol. If these hallucinations get any worse, please tell someone."  _ She advised, Brooke resisting the urge to scream as she ran a clawed hand over her face. 

"Nice to know the symbol I have to master to save the world is gonna send me to a psych ward." Brooke joked bitterly, her voice dripping with sarcasm. While her main instinct now was to go to Jayden, she knew she couldn't. She knew she had to deal with it on her own- so _ , let the games begin. _

Letting out a heavy sigh and willing her inhumane features away, Brooke stood from her seat and started walking back into the Shiba House. Amaris hopped off the seat and padded next to her, and she silently thanked the white wolf for her presence. Walking down the halls, she decided to come up with a game plan: running away from her problems. At least for a little bit, and she made a move to pull out her phone. However, she stopped herself when the smell of spice and smoke filled her nose. 

"Heya, Red," Brooke greeted, spinning on her heel so that she was facing Jayden. "Everything okay?" She asked, and he nodded, a small smile on his face. 

"I feel like I should be asking  _ you  _ that. You look a little frazzled." Jayden replied, Brooke's eyes flashed a couple of times, but still returned to their normal grey. It was an act, though, and she knew he knew it. 

"I'm all good, just feeling kinda off. I think it's just the concussion, though." Brooke lied, praying that Jayden wouldn't press. Much to her relief, he didn't.

_ "You must tell the truth eventually, my dear."  _ Amaris chided, her voice only in Brooke's head, who shot a look of "drop it" in retaliation. She responded with her own stern look, her ears flicking. 

After that silent conversation, the two rangers and the white wolf walked into the main room of the Shiba House. Just in time, actually, as Terry was strolling in from the front entrance. Mia, who instantly noticed her brother, beamed, giving the tray she had in her hands to Emily. 

"Terry!" Mia greeted, instantly running over and giving her brother a hug. 

"It's been a long time." Terry returned her greeting with his own, him being a couple of inches taller than Mia. 

Recalling the times Maxx used to pick fights with her because of her height, Brooke wore a ghost of a smile on her lips. It had always been because her platform shoes made her taller than her little brother, the fifteen-year-old, and seventeen-year-old being the same height. Brooke didn't know now, of course, as she hasn't seen her brother in months, but she still tried to keep in touch with him. It was mostly them sending videos and things they found funny to each other without really talking, but it was better than nothing. 

"Oh Terry, you haven't met Kevin." Mia introduced him, motioning towards him for emphasis. 

"You're blue, right?" Terry thought aloud, outstretching a hand, and Kevin nodded, taking his hand and shaking it. "Heard a lot about you, man. Glad to know you've got my sister's back." He added, Kevin eyeing his guitar. 

"That's a great guitar, can I see it?" Kevin asked, and Terry nodded, handing his guitar to the blue ranger. 

"So, what brings you here?" Mia questioned, turning her attention back to Terry. 

"I'm getting the band back together. We have a gig on Friday, and I was kinda hoping you'd sing with us." Terry answered, Mia instantly shaking her head. 

"Oh  _ come on  _ Mia! We want to see you rock out on stage!" Emily cheered the pink ranger on, four other rangers that were present voicing their agreement. 

Things, however, started going south. Mia grabbed Terry by the arm, dragging him outside, Brooke instantly raising her eyebrows. "Shit." She concluded, her eyes flashing. Her phone then buzzed, her pulling it out of her pocket and reading the notification. 

** Casper:  ** _ odd question, but is the Shiba House wooden? _

** Brooke:  ** _ yea, y? _

** Casper:  ** _ im outside _

** Brooke:  ** _ give me 1 min _

"I'll be back," Brooke announced, turning her phone off and shoving it into the pocket of her leather jacket. She ran off before the others could answer, crashing through the front doors. 

She hadn't seen her best friend in person since before the war started. Brooke found herself breaking into a happy smile, that only grew wider when her grey eyes landed on Casper. He looked the same as he always did, brown curly hair underneath a black baseball cap and brown eyes. He turned at the sound of footsteps crunching across the gravel, him breaking into a similar smile to the one Brooke was wearing. However, he soon made a noise of surprise when she practically flung herself at him. 

"Hey, Wolfie. Glad to know I was missed," Casper greeted, slightly bending over to give Brooke a hug. He was tall- standing at 6'2, and that usually meant people thought he usually was, but he was seventeen. "Man, you live  _ here?  _ You've gotten some upgrades." He remarked, inspecting the Shiba House as they pulled away. 

"I'm also fighting a war," Brooke reminded Casper, glancing back at the wooden dojo and then back at him. "It's been here for generations, and the inside looks like it. It's a  _ dojo,  _ pretty much. So, what brings you here?" She asked, Casper grinning. 

"Honestly? I'm just fucking around. Must be fate or something," Casper replied, shoving his hands into the pockets of the olive green bomber jacket he was wearing. "I just finished up at the hospital, and Terry said we were having band practice, but I don't know what the fuck he's doing." He added, Brooke's eyes flashing. 

"About that- I think Mia and Terry got into the traditional "you're not doing what's best for your future" argument. He asked her to sing, and she seemed kinda peeved about it." Brooke summarized, looking up at Casper, who shook his head.

"He's talked about that- but it's really not my place to say. He's a good guy, though," Casper remarking, spinning the thumb ring he was wearing around his thumb. "He's got to find me a replacement for tonight because I have to go get hours at the hospital," He stated, glancing at Brooke, whose grey eyes sparkled with mischief. "You have that look on your face." He pointed out, raising a pierced eyebrow. 

"Or it could be just because you're bad." Brooke teased, reaching up and flicking the brim of Casper's hat. 

"Should've seen that one coming," Casper muttered, taking off his hat and ruffling his hair. "Don't know how the team deals with you. Speaking of, am I going to get skewered for loitering?" He wondered, partly joking and partly not. He didn't really feel like getting a sword to the heart anytime soon. 

Brooke's eyes flashed as she chewed on her bottom lip, thinking for a moment. "I don't think so? Like, the worst you'd probably get is a disappointed look from Ji. But-" She cut herself off when she heard two other pairs of footsteps. "There's your guitar player, and Antonio, if you're up for meeting him." She nodded in the direction of Terry and Antonio, Casper raising his eyebrows when his brown eyes landed on the gold ranger's guitar. 

"A fish guitar," Casper blurted, peering at the guitar skeptically for a moment. Then he shook his head, turning his attention to Terry and Antonio again. "Didn't know your sister was a power ranger." He called, Terry instantly snapping his attention to the curly-haired boy. 

He looked excited then confused, furrowing his brows slightly. "Casper?" Terry asked skeptically, he and Antonio walking up to Casper and Brooke. 

"Wait- this is Casper? As in your best friend?" Antonio blurted, partially looking up at the taller boy, who grinned. 

"The one and only. Casper Green, thanks for having Wolfie's back. I've heard a bit about you," Casper introduced himself, Antonio knitting his brows at "Wolfie". "Childhood nickname." He explained, holding out a hand. 

"Antonio Garcia, heard about you for the first time yesterday," Antonio replied, shaking Casper's hand with his usual cheerful glimmer in his eyes. 

Casper's eyes then slid to Brooke, him quirking a brow at her. She huffed, puffing out her cheeks slightly as heat rose to her face. "I was scared that you guys weren't gonna like him," She mumbled, but she quickly regained her composure. "Anyways, so Goldie is Casper's replacement?" She concluded, turning her attention to Terry. 

"For tonight," Terry replied, Casper pretending to be upset, putting on a face of faux hurt. "You know what I mean. So, you must be Brooke, then? Can you really do-" He started, Brooke cutting him off with a snicker. 

"The wolf thing? Yeah, watch this." Brooke answered his questions, her bones cracking and popping as she shifted. The brown wolf then looked up at Terry, wagging her tail, him making a noise of surprise.

"So you know about all of this, I'm guessing?" Antonio wondered, noticing that Casper was unfazed by the fact his best friend turned into a wolf. 

Casper nodded, grinning as Brooke shifted back. "For like a year now, yeah. She hid it well, surprisingly enough." He teased, putting said ranger in a headlock and ruffling her hair, her letting out noises of protest. 

"You two up for some band practice?" Terry asked, his eyes flickering to Casper, who let Brooke out of the headlock, and then Antonio. "You can come too, if you want." He added, Brooke smiling as she combed through her hair with her claws. 

"Sounds great." Brooke beamed, trying to ignore the fact that she would probably get a headache because of her wolf hearing. She wanted to watch two of her friends have fun together, and she was happy they seemed to get along right off of the bat. She soon even forgot about the hallucinations, her just smiling and laughing along to the three boys.

* * *

However, all good things come to an end. The rangers got summoned to some abandoned structure, and Brooke eyed Serrator warily. Her heart rate increased, but she tried to calm her nerves. Amaris was present in her mind this time, so that was one good thing about the situation. Other than that, it wasn't  _ ideal,  _ but it could be dealt with. Or so she thought, but things started going downhill rather quickly. It was partly because of  _ her,  _ because when Brooke saw James standing next to Serrator, she froze. She knew it was just a hallucination, that he wasn't actually  _ real,  _ but it sure as hell seemed like he was. She tried to convince herself that it was just fake so that she could actually  _ move,  _ but it was difficult. 

Serrator noticed the silver ranger just standing still and chuckled. "What's the matter? Lost your edge already?" He taunted, his voice snapping Brooke out of her fearful state. 

She only let out a growl in response, narrowing her eyes underneath her helmet. In a flash of silver, she appeared behind Serrator, landing a hard strike on his back and kicking him away. "Guess again." Brooke spat, spinning her kunai in her hand. 

The others were dealing with moogers, Mia missing in action, so that just left Brooke and Serrator. Which was fine with her, and she made a move to attack again, but, surprisingly, he wasn't focused on her. He was focused on the team, Brooke mentally preparing herself for when she had a rush in and presumably draw a protection symbol. 

"I'd head back to the Netherworld if I were you." Jayden challenged as the team regrouped, Brooke appearing next to him in a flash of silver. 

"But you're not!" Serrator retorted, firing blasts from his claws. 

Brooke made a move to call on Amaris, but she couldn't feel the white wolf's presence in her mind anymore. So, she reached for her samuraizer, but it was too late. The blasts made contact with the six rangers, which caused them all to let out groans of pain when they made contact with the ground. Smoke rose from their bodies, and Brooke nearly screamed when her vision cleared. It wasn't James who was standing over her this time, it was  _ Jane Wolfe.  _ She had never seen her mother in person before, only in pictures, and she wished it would've stayed that way. 

Jane had long brown hair and brown eyes, and her face shape and structure was almost identical to Brooke's. Strong cheekbones and somewhat narrow eyes, giving off a predatory look without really trying. However, that wasn't what Brooke was worried about. She was worried about the  _ blood  _ dripping from her mother's neck from a large gash, presumably the wound that killed her. The blood landed on Brooke's ranger suit, who let out a quiet whimper, squeezing her eyes shut. 

_ It's not real, it's not real. It's okay,  _ Brooke repeated to herself, trying to force herself to relax. It wasn't real, Jane Wolfe was dead, she couldn't be here. It was going to be fine-  _ it was going to be fine.  _

A hand on her shoulder snapped her out of her thoughts, Brooke snapping her attention to Jayden. "Hey, are you okay? You're freaking out," He asked, his voice laced with concern as he took in the way Brooke's body shook violently. "Is it Serrator?" He wondered, and she shook her head. 

"Just- just an off day," Brooke forced out, and Jayden seemed unconvinced but didn't pry. He squeezed her shoulder comfortingly, and she let out a shaky sigh. "Thank you." She mumbled, and with enough mental strength, she calmed herself down and focused on the battle at hand. However, she knew it was bad that the hallucinations were affecting her in battle. It wasn't good at all, but Brooke tried to shake those thoughts out of her mind. It was going to be fine,  _ it was going to work out.  _

She forced herself to her feet when Mia, who was now in Super Samurai Mode, successfully managed to land a powerful strike on Serrator. The silver ranger jogged over to the pink on shaky legs, patting her back in silent congratulations. The team also ran up and showered Mia with praise, but Serrator didn't seem to enjoy the happy mood. 

"You think you've won?" Serrator spat, pointing his staff at the team. "This party's just getting started!  _ Papyrox!"  _ He called, summoning the nighlok, along with giant moogers and spitfangs. The giant moogers we're in a cheerleading pyramid, Brooke laughing quietly under her helmet.

It sounded more like a cry for help than a laugh, but she tried to ignore that. "Let's end this party early," Brooke muttered, the team noticing how her voice didn't hold its usual teasing tone.  _ "Wolf Folding Zord: Megamode Power!"  _ She called, throwing the zord into the air and drawing the symbol. 

She soon appeared in the cockpit of the wolf zord, Brooke folding up her megablade and sticking it into the control panel. The samurai megazord and bullzord also appeared, the large robot jumping into the wagon that the bullzord carried behind it. As they did so, the wolf zord bounded forward, knocking down one of the giant moogers that was at the bottom of the cheerleading pyramid. 

"Goldie! You wanna combine?" Brooke offered as the clawzord appeared in a flash of gold. Antonio agreed, and the two zords formed the wolf armor megazord, the silver and gold rangers appearing in the cockpit. 

The bullzord also formed into the bull megazord, the three robots standing side to side. When the spitfangs shot out fireballs, they hit them back, successfully killing the spitfangs. While the spitfangs went up in a large explosion, the megazords performed their finishing moves and successfully defeated Papyrox. 

_ "Samurai Rangers: Victory is Ours,"  _ Jayden called, and with that, the battle was over. Brooke couldn't even find the heart to mouth along to the finishing line, only hearing the pounding of her heart in her chest. 

* * *

That night, things got a little more lively, the rangers were getting ready for the concert that Terry's band was playing. Brooke now was just focusing on making sure her eyeliner was even, which is something she hasn't done in a long time. She used to wear makeup for school, but there was no need for it now, as she usually got dirty and sweaty. But, Brooke was having fun, it was a sense of nostalgia for her- and she always enjoyed doing "not ranger things" with the team. It was a sense of normalcy. 

"Mom was a hallucination this time," Brooke blurted, Amaris instantly perking up from where she was laying on her bed. "It's happening in battle, too. I couldn't even summon you to protect the team." She muttered, putting the cap on her eyeliner pencil and turning her attention to her hair. She didn't know what to do with it, and her eyes flashed as she ruffled it. 

_ "I had a feeling that was what happened. Are you alright?"  _ Amaris asked, Brooke letting out a sigh and running a clawed hand over her face. 

"Kinda? I'm happy that I get to spend time with the team, but I'm also having fucking  _ hallucinations,  _ so that's something." Brooke answered, turning around to face Amaris. She decided to leave her hair as it was because she didn't know what to do with it. It was too short for her to pull up anymore, and she knew she didn't have time to straighten or curl it. 

_ "Try to enjoy your night to the best of your abilities. Remember that you have a wonderful support system if you need it,"  _ Amaris reminded Brooke, who nodded with almost a sad smile.  _ "I love you, my dear. I will always be with you."  _ She added, Brooke walking out of her bathroom. 

She scratched behind the white wolf's ears, Amaris closing her eyes in contentment. "Love you too, Amaris." Brooke murmured, then turning her attention to the faint knocking on her door. It wasn't Jayden's usual knock, so she knit her brows, walking over and opening the door. 

It was Emily, the yellow ranger wearing a yellow dress and having her wallet in her hand. "I wanted to see if you're okay. You've been quieter today." She explained, Brooke's eyes flashing as she broke into a small smile. 

"Yeah, it's all good. Sorry, just been a kinda off day," Brooke replied, letting out a sigh. She stepped out of her room, shutting the door behind her, and started walking with Emily down the halls. "But, it's gonna be fun. I'm also glad when all got the silent message to dress up as well." She joked, and Brooke realized that with her platform doc martens, she towered over the younger girl.

"I've never seen you wear a skirt before, you look good in them!" Emily complimented, and Brooke felt a genuine smile grow on her lips. 

She was wearing a black turtleneck underneath a black jean jacket, the turtleneck also being tucked into a grey, white, and black plaid skirt, which stopped at her mid-thigh. Brooke also wore her usual doc martens, with black thigh-high socks. "Thanks, I haven't worn it in forever. Kinda hard to fight in, y'know?" She commented, walking into the kitchen, where the others were gathered. 

Mike was trying to reach Kevin some sort of dance move, Jayden watching the green and blue rangers with interest. He tore his attention away from the two when he heard footsteps, one only pair of them, to find Brooke and Emily standing in the doorway. And that's when he found out he found thigh-high socks paired with skirts attractive, or maybe it was just Brooke. She was always pretty, but with the  _ skirt-  _ Jayden __ shut off that train of thought quickly, offering her a small smile, which she returned. 

"Hey, you," Brooke greeted, walking over to stand beside Jayden. "Anything interesting happening?" She wondered, and Jayden motioned to Mike and Kevin with a nod. 

Kevin performed a dance move that looked like he was wiping sweat off of his forehead, looking rather proud of himself. "How's that?" He asked, and instead of responding directly, Mike just stared at him. 

Brooke laughed at that, and it was a  _ genuine  _ laugh. It was quiet, yes, but it was genuine. Jayden realized it was the first time she's laughed like that in a while, the last time being when Antonio tried to join the team for the first time. It was when he ripped his blazer with his fish hook, and that was months ago by now. It made Jayden realize how long Brooke's actually been back in his life, and he wasn't complaining at all. He also wanted to tell her that she looked nice, but  _ knew _ he couldn't do that, for two reasons. One being he probably couldn't get it out smoothly, and that would be awkward as all hell. Two being that the rest of the team was in the kitchen, as that would make things even  _ more awkward.  _

Brooke however, didn't share the same worries as Jayden. She scanned his outfit of the night, which was a dull red t-shirt (no surprise there) underneath a casual black blazer. He also wore blue jeans and black leather shoes, and it was out of character but in character all at the same time. "You dress up nice." She stated, reaching up and fixing Jayden's bangs for him. He was trying to hide the fact that he was flustered, but was doing a very poor job of it, much to her amusement. 

"Thanks." That was the only response that Jayden could come up with, and he internally screamed at himself for getting flustered by Brooke's compliment. It was all fine, though, as the rest of the rangers weren't looking. Or so he thought. 

Despite Jayden's embarrassment, the kitchen was filled with a happy atmosphere, but Mia didn't carry the same vibe as she walked into the room. The five other rangers instantly picked up on it, as it was extremely out of character for her. She also wasn't dressed up like the others, Emily noticing this and wearing a small frown. 

"Mia, aren't you coming to the concert?" Emily questioned, the ranger in question opening the fridge. 

"No, I think I'm just going to tuck in for the night," Mia replied, grabbing a carton of milk from the fridge and turning to face the other rangers. 

"Mia, is there a problem between you and your brother?" Kevin asked, and by Mia's reaction, he had hit the nail on the head. 

"He's supposed to be volunteering at the hospital, not playing some gig," Mia explained, her voice holding a twinge of bitterness and disappointment. 

Eyes flashing, Brooke just decided to stay quiet. She knew Terry was getting hours in at the hospital- as Casper told her, but she couldn't explain that easily. He also told her that the concert was a good cause, it was a charity event  _ for  _ the children's hospital, but Brooke didn't want to start an argument. So she decided to let Mia figure that out on her own. 

"Oh, okay," Emily responded, looking a little dejected. "But, after that long battle, we're going to blow off some steam." She remarked, Mia looking a little upset. Nobody blamed her, but it's not like anybody could do anything at the moment. 

* * *

Sitting next to Jayden in the auditorium Panorama offered, Brooke's eyes instantly widened and flashed. "Fuck." She muttered, kicking herself for not remembering about her wolf hearing. If it was just Casper, she knew she wouldn't have to worry, but this was a  _ concert.  _

"Everything okay?" Jayden asked, noticing Brooke's somewhat panicked expression. Still, she tried to relax, willing her claws away, reaching for his hand. He let her take it, and she tapped her ear in response to his question. "Wolf hearing." He concluded, and Brooke nodded. 

"If it gets too bad, I might have to leave. The joys of being Wolf Girl." Brooke muttered bitterly, her eyes flashing as she tightened her hold on Jayden's hand. Luckily she was at the end of the aisle, so she could easily leave if she needed to. Not that she  _ wanted  _ to, but for the sake of her eardrums? She might have to.

"I don't think Antonio would get mad, so you don't have to worry about that," Jayden reassured Brooke, who nodded faintly as her eyes flashed. "I'm here for you, I always-" He started, but was cut off as the lights dimmed and the announcer started talking. 

_ "Ladies and gentlemen, give a warm welcome to The Rebel Rockers!"  _ The announcer yelled, and Brooke winced. She tried to brave it out for Antonio, but she could only do so much. Her head started pounding much earlier than she thought, and she let go of Jayden's hand. 

"I'll be back," Brooke mumbled, and when Jayden made a move to get out of his seat, she placed a hand on his arm. "Don't ruin your night because of me. I'm okay." She urged, getting up from her seat and walking out of the auditorium. 

When she burst out of the auditorium doors, Brooke realized that her ears were actually ringing. However, she wasn't focused on that, she was more focused on the guilt she felt. She wanted to be in there and having fun with the others, but she  _ couldn't,  _ and the dull ringing in her ears reminded her of that. She wanted nothing more than to support Antonio and Terry's band, she wanted to be normal. The experiences the others got to have, she never would be able to have. Unless there was a way to turn her back into a full human, but Brooke highly doubted that there was. She was going to be stuck like this for the rest of her life, and that was frustrating. 

Blinking back tears of frustration, Brooke let out a shaky breath. She wouldn't allow herself to fall into  _ that _ spiral tonight. She was going to have fun, wolf senses or not. She could actually still hear the song, it was upbeat and catchy. It was  _ Antonio,  _ and that caused Brooke to break into a small smile. She knew that he wouldn't be mad, he wasn't that type of person. That quelled her anxiety to a degree, at least. 

"Figured you'd be out here," A familiar voice snapped Brooke out of her thoughts, Casper walking up to her. "Wolf senses?" He wondered, her nodding. 

"Never gets easier. I feel bad," Brooke replied, her voice cracking. "I wanna be human, Casper." She admitted, Casper wrapping her into a hug. 

"Well, you're human to  _ me _ . I could go into the psychology behind it, but I have a feeling you'd just get bored. But, you're Brooke Wolfe before you're a wolf. You always will be," Casper reassured Brooke as they pulled away. He made a move to pull something out of his pocket, but he and Brooke both furrowed their brows when they heard a feminine voice singing. "Is that…" He trailed, Brooke's eyes flashing. 

"Mia? I think so." Brooke finished for him, Casper making a noise of surprise. 

"From what Terry told me, she was against all this," He muttered, then shaking his head. Brooke quickly picked up on it when they were kids, whenever Casper got off-topic, he shook his head. It was a quirk of his that was probably supposed to stop when he became a teenager, but it stuck with him. "Anyways, back on task. I got something that reminded me of you, and I wanted you to have it." He remarked, pulling out a necklace from his pocket.

Brooke eyed the necklace, noticing the fact it wasn't silver. Casper knew about her problem with silver, so all the jewelry he wore wasn't silver as well. It was the little things that he did that made her happy. "If it has a wolf on it, I  _ swear,"  _ She joked, taking the necklace from his hand. It was a dog tag, and Brooke flipped it over, her eyes flashing. "The moon cycles?" She blurted, running her thumb over the small engravings of the moon cycles. 

"We beat the wolf motif to death a long time ago," Casper explained, Brooke letting out a bark of laughter. 

"Yeah, we did," She agreed, recalling the Christmases at Casper's where everything she got resembled wolves  _ somehow,  _ due to her last name, mostly. __ Not that Brooke was ungrateful for any of it, she found it funny, but at this point, she had a lot of wolf memorabilia that she didn't exactly know what to do with. "I really like it, thank you." Brooke thanked, putting on the necklace and beaming at Casper.

"Don't sweat it. I know about your emotional attachments to inanimate objects," Casper teased, the pair then hearing cheers coming from the auditorium. "That means we should probably go inside before Jayden decides to skewer me for keeping you out here." He joked, Brooke rolling her eyes and playfully punching his shoulder. 

However, when Casper started walking in the direction  _ opposite  _ of the doors to the auditorium, she raised her eyebrows. "What're you doing?" Brooke questioned, jogging over to him. 

He didn't respond directly, only opening a door. It led to backstage, Casper grinning at Brooke's confused look. "Not to brag, but I'm with that band." He stated matter-of-factly, laughing when Brooke shoved him through the door. 

The door led to backstage, Brooke instantly spotting the team, sans Mia because she was doing something or another. They had presumably already congratulated Antonio, as now they were just chatting. It was still a little loud, but she tried to ignore it to the best of her abilities, especially when brown eyes fell on her. "There you are!" Antonio remarked, Brooke smiling sheepishly as she jogged up to the five other rangers. 

"Sorry, it was just a little overwhelming," Brooke apologized, tapping her ear for emphasis. "But I could hear you from outside, and it was really good. Good job, Goldie," She praised, wrapping Antonio in a hug, which he returned. After they pulled away, she glanced at Casper. He was just leaning against the wall and tapping his toe on the ground, scrolling through something on his phone. "You guys can now meet Casper," Brooke added, the curly-haired boy lifting his head at his name. She waved him over, him shutting off his phone and shoving it back into his pocket. 

Casper pushed himself off of the wall, starting to walk over to the rangers, but he stopped in his tracks when Mike spoke. "Holy shit, you're tall." The green ranger blurted, Emily instantly hitting his chest. 

"Thanks, I guess?" Casper replied, then shaking his head and walking again. He stopped beside Brooke, hooking his thumbs on his belt loops. "But, as you all presumably concluded by now, I'm Casper." He introduced himself, holding out a hand for Jayden to take. 

"Nice to meet you, Casper. I'm guessing you know the rest of the team?" Jayden asked, shaking Casper's hand.

Kevin opened his mouth to say something, but Brooke instantly cut him off. "That's on me. Long story short, a nighlok crashed prom for us, and that was way before I met you guys. I just told him who you guys are, and he knows like, the basics."  _ Please, let me keep him in my life.  _ She explained, Casper nodding. 

"I know you guys are dealing with fucking chaos, so I'm not trying to get in your way," Casper added, then glancing at Brooke. "Plus, I'm like her  _ only  _ non-samurai friend." He teased, Brooke instantly flushing pink, her eyes flashing. 

"Okay, just because that's the case, you don't have to say it." Brooke fired back, standing on her toes and shooting Casper a playful glare. He flicked her forehead in response, her making a noise of betrayal. 

"You guys are really close." Emily concluded, her voice soft, and Casper nodded, grabbing Brooke's wrist before she could "punch" him in the face. 

"Five years of  _ this,  _ but yeah. You just never fucking talk about your past," Casper replied, directing the last statement to Brooke, who only grinned. He rolled his eyes, dropping her wrist and turning his attention to the others again. "I understand if you guys want me to fuck off, though. Just say the word, I'm not trying to damn the world or anything." He stated, readjusting his hat on his head and shoving his hands into his pockets. 

"You're fine being here, Casper." Jayden declared, Casper quirking a pierced brow in slight surprise. 

"Don't be like that, you're fun to have around! Thanks for letting me take your spot in the band for tonight, as well." Antonio thanked, Casper shaking his head with a small smile and waving his hand in dismissal. 

"It's not a problem. I'm happy I get to see this dumbass again." Casper teased, motioning to Brooke with a nod, who rolled her eyes. But, she wore a genuine smile, the silver ranger radiating a happy vibe that was almost out of character. 

* * *

Jayden had split off from the others, and now he walked down the streets of Panorama, his shoes making faint taps on the pavement. Making sure his wallet was in his pocket, which it was, he ran a hand through his hair, calming his nerves. He was  _ nervous,  _ he didn't even know why, but he shoved it aside as he pushed open the door to a small jewelry store. 

A chime sounded, a woman looking up from the cash register, peering at Jayden skeptically. She had blonde hair and blue eyes, and looked rather young, her name tag reading  _ Margret _ ."We usually don't get teenagers. What's the occasion?" Margret questioned, but there was a teasing tilt to her words, and heat rose to Jayden's face. 

"A… A, uh, confession." Jayden stammered, walking up to the cash register. He tried to ignore the way his cheeks and the tips of his ears burned, only forcing a small smile.  _ Christ,  _ he wished Ji had taught him some basic social skills, as this was more awkward than he thought it was going to be. 

Margret smiled faintly at Jayden's answer. "I'm sure she'll accept, especially since you're going to this length. Anything in specific do you think she would like? Certain metals or gemstones?" She wondered, getting out a key and unlocking one of the display cases. 

"Anything other than silver," Jayden replied, his heart pounding in his chest. Was this too much?  _ Maybe.  _ But he just wanted to see her happy. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late upload, and honestly mediocre chapter, I've started school again. So, updates might be a little all over the place, as it's my senior year of high school and all of that fun stuff. But I'll try to keep it somewhat consistent! Thanks for reading :)


	29. familiar faces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fighting against your cognition was never fun, and Brooke came to realize that rather quickly. Kevin gets his samuraizer eaten, and Deker makes his return. Both the red and silver rangers realized that the half-human's presence makes them more stressed then they thought.
> 
> (it's literally 3am and I have school so enjoy your Brooke and Jayden content before I ruin their lives ;)) )

Brooke stood on a battlefield, surveying the area. The others were nowhere to be found, and it didn't smell like nighlok. But she was  _ here,  _ of all places. She didn't know why, or why her heart was pounding in her chest with a mix of adrenaline and anxiety. Her katanas were on her back and her kunai at her hip, so it wasn't like she was defenseless. Still, she felt  _ scared-  _ her not feeling Amaris' presence in her mind made it worse. Brooke realized she needed the white wolf now more than ever, as who was presumably her opponent strolled up. She, her opponent, was nonchalant, if not somewhat smug, a ghost of a smirk on her lips. 

She had wavy black hair that stopped at the middle of her neck, strong cheekbones, and somewhat slanted eyes. Grey-gold eyes met grey, her traditional grey, and Brooke realized she was looking at  _ herself.  _ And she concluded that Cognitive-Brooke was looking for a fight, as her katanas were on her back and her kunai resting on her hip. It was almost like a mirror image, Brooke struggling to find the words to say as she just  _ stared  _ at her cognition. Everything was the same, and she realized she was looking at a person she  _ loathed.  _

"No need in hiding it, y'know," Cognitive-Brooke stated, inspecting her nails, seemingly bored. Upon not getting a response, she raised her head, peering at Brooke skeptically. "Christ, Brooke. Thought you would be quicker than this." She chided, snapping her fingers for emphasis. 

"Hiding it?" Brooke echoed, finally regaining her composure. Hearing her  _ own voice  _ coming from another person was unnerving. Even if the person was a cognition. Or that's what Brooke assumed, for all she knew this could be fucked up hallucination. But, by the way Cognitive-Brooke was walking around and talking, she wasn't a hallucination. 

"C'mon now, do I need to spell it out for you?" Cognitive-Brooke mocked, quirking a brow as her eyes flashed. However, Brooke didn't respond, only inspecting her cognition quizzically, who let out a sigh. "Fuck, guess I do," She muttered, annoyance crossing her features.  _ "I hate you."  _ She declared, drawing her Wolf Kunai and pointing it at Brooke. 

Who wasn't really surprised about that statement, self-hatred was a thing Brooke hid behind false confidence for years. "Glad to see the feeling's mutual." She retorted, hooking her thumbs on the belt loops of her black jeans. 

"No, you don't get it," Cognitive-Brooke snickered, breaking into a sinister grin. Her eyes were blazing gold, and she had a slight lisp when she spoke. "I'm everything you hate about _yourself!_ I'm every regret, every bullshit action, you've done over the five fucking years you've had your memories. Which was a lot, by the way," She stated, drawing her Wolf Kunai and throwing it up in the air, catching it with ease and pointing it at Brooke. "I'm every insecurity you've had, the ones you stuff down with a shitty excuse of a poker face. Every fear. Everything in your life that you _loathe._ It's fitting that I'm you, isn't it? I'm the person you hate the most." Cognitive-Brooke's grin grew wider as Brooke's eyes narrowed, landing on a color that was identical to her cognitions. Blazing gold, sparkling with hatred and slight fear. 

"If you want to start a fight- make the first move. You should know that if you're me." Brooke spat, digging her booted foot into the dirt. She wasn't morphed, and she had a feeling she  _ couldn't.  _ At least her military boots had good ankle support. 

"I won't hold back." Cognitive-Brooke threatened, and when Brooke let out a growl in response, the battle began. 

When her cognition ran into battle with a yell- jumping up and performing a downwards strike that was  _ identical  _ to Jayden's, Brooke simply rolled out of the way. Before her cognition could react, she slammed the bottom of her foot into Cognitive-Brooke's side, sending her tumbling sideways. "Using  _ Red's move?  _ Really? Thought you would be quicker than this," Brooke mocked with a bark of laughter, drawing her own Wolf Kunai. "You can do better." She added, Cognitive-Brooke regaining her composure. 

"You _bitch!"_ Cognitive-Brooke screamed, breaking into a sprint, the sound of metal _clanging_ against metal reverberating around the two silver rangers.

Fighting against herself was strange, Brooke coming up with moves on the fly as her cognition obviously knew her fighting style. It was getting to the point where she had to use moves she learned back when she was younger to win a fistfight. Making a move to slam her elbow into Cognitive-Brooke's nose, she instead made a noise of pain. Staggering back, Brooke cursed under her breath at the blood gushing from the gash on her arm. Still, she shook it off and ran back into battle.

It was like they were getting nowhere, as most moves were either blocked or parried. Cognitive-Brooke slammed her foot into Brooke's bad ankle, hearing it crack and watching in amusement as Brooke landed hard on her back. She let out a yell of pain, but it quickly died when her cognition wrapped a clawed hand around her throat. Feeling the claws dig into the skin of her neck, her airway getting more and more restricted by the minute, Brooke forced herself not to hyperventilate. 

Cognitive-Brooke snickered at that, her sinister grin returning and her gold eyes sparkling with malice. "You want Red to save you, don't you?" She wondered, tightening her grip on Brooke's neck, who let out a whimper. "He's  _ not coming.  _ He'll leave you in the end, y'know? History likes repeating itself in different ways," Her claws were now drawing blood, black spots decorating Brooke's vision as she struggled to breathe. "How strong you are. Relying on someone else, every damn time. Because you're not as strong as you try to be. You never will be, you're just a pathetic twelve-year-old with no memories of before." Cognitive-Brooke hissed, leaning forward slightly, and Brooke saw her chance. 

Curling her clawed hand into a fist, Brooke landed a strong punch on her cognition's noise. That caused her to make a noise of pain, loosening her hold on Brooke's neck. Who moved quickly, pushing her cognition off of her and scrambled for her Wolf Kunai. Her fingers curled around the hilt of the weapon, and with a deep breath, she skewered her cognition in the side. Her chest heaved, Brooke barely making out the person in front of her. All she knew was that she needed to  _ kill  _ Cognitive-Brooke, she was a nuisance, and the noise of pain she made was like music to Brooke's ears. 

Brown and white fur sprouted on her hands, arms, and cheeks, her ears becoming longer and more pointed. "I don't need Red. I'll kill you," Brooke growled, her upper and lower canines clicking together as they grew in and hit each other. "You're nothing but a threat. I don't give a damn whether or not I fuckin' kill you." She spat, her eyes blazing gold as she grinned. 

She pulled her Wolf Kunai out of Cognitive-Brooke's side, knocking the cognition over with ease. Brooke skewered her in the heart, pulling out her kunai. The leaf-shaped blade was coated with blood, her making a move to stab her cognition again- but her vision cleared. Instead of herself, it was  _ Jayden. _

His chest was heaving, Brooke instantly letting out a strangled noise of fear. "Red- Red." She choked out, noticing the crimson that was staining his red shirt. Jayden was dressed like he did when they were going to the concert, but now his face was coated with blood, his blue eyes not having their usual warmth in them. They were full of fear and pain, Brooke feeling as tears ran down her cheeks as she sat on her knees by his side. 

She forced herself to act, quickly pulling her grey t-shirt over her head. Brooke balled it up, forcefully applying pressure to the wound on Jayden's chest. The wound  _ she  _ caused, her body shaking as she tried to stop the bleeding. It wasn't working, her grey shirt quickly getting stained with blood. So were her hands, and Brooke gagged at the smell of blood. Still, she pressed on Jayden's chest, him making a grunt of pain. She let out a sob at that, her arms shaking as she squeezed her eyes shut. Tears fell from her cheeks onto his chest, her letting out a noise of surprise when she felt a warm hand brush them away. 

"Hey, hey, Brooke. Brooke, it's me. It's Jayden," Jayden's voice sounded calmer, like he  _ wasn't  _ bleeding out from a stab wound Brooke caused. The smell of blood was replaced with spice and smoke, quelling her anxiety, to a degree. "It's just a bad dream, I'm right here. Open your eyes, I'm okay." He soothed, gold eyes instantly snapping open. 

Brooke's chest heaved as she bolted upright. She was coated with sweat, her hair stuck to her forehead, and her face shining in the yellow light. Tears mixed with sweat rolled down her face, and she took in both of her childhood friends' concerned looks. Jayden was kneeled at her bedside, Antonio sitting on the edge of her bed. Amaris was also awake, her ears flattened to her head and her violet eyes shining with concern from where she sat by Brooke's feet.

Instead of feeling safe like she usually felt, she felt  _ trapped.  _ Her body shaking violently, Brooke scrambled away from the three. She went to go scan Jayden's face, but her eyes fell on another figure. It was James again, but this time he had thin silver chains in his hands. "I got rid- rid of you. Go- go away," She choked out, gold eyes meeting blue. James said nothing in response, but Brooke saw how his grip on the chains tightened. "Leave me alone." She begged, her claws sinking into the comforter as she clutched onto it like a lifeline. 

Both Jayden and Antonio furrowed their brows, glancing at the spot that Brooke was talking to. Nobody was there, and the two shared a worried look. Amaris, however, knew what was happening and bounced over to Brooke, nuzzling her cheek as a means to calm her down. It worked to a degree, as she stopped staring at the spot, blinking rapidly. James was gone, but that didn't help with the feelings of panic and being trapped. Her heart felt like it was being squeezed, and it felt like she couldn't keep air in her lungs. 

"Brooke-" Jayden started, reaching out, Brooke shaking her head rapidly. 

"Don't- I'm sorry," Brooke spoke, her own voice sounding foreign to her.  _ Ah, so it was one of these panic attacks.  _ The ones that made her wolf out, and she peeled off Jayden's flannel to find brown and white fur sprouting on her arms. "I- I need to- to go." She stammered, her upper lip curling around her canines. She hurriedly got off of her bed, slipping on her vans, her entire body shaking. 

"Do you want someone to go with you?" Antonio offered, and Brooke nearly laughed. Instead, she let out a sob, shaking her head faintly. 

"Please don't follow me. I- I don't want you guys getting- getting hurt because of me," Brooke replied, her voice an almost incomprehensible mixture of a growl and a sob. She opened her bedroom door, shooting her two childhood friends a forced smile. "Love you both." She murmured, and with that, she sprinted down the halls of the Shiba House, quickly reaching the outdoor dojo. She heard her bones pop and crack, her senses sharpening as nothing but a sense of bloodlust started filling her head. Brooke found herself drooling over the fading scent that Jayden carried, hungry eyes snapping to the back entrance of the Shiba House. 

Shaking those thoughts out of her mind, Brooke wiped the drool off of her chin. She just had to make it to the woods, and she broke off into a sprint, crashing through the gates. More fur sprouted across her body, her nose becoming a snout as she made a beeline for the woods. Crashing through the underbrush, she allowed herself to shift, the golden eyes the brown wolf carried cutting through the darkness. 

That left Jayden and Antonio both sitting in Brooke's room, trying to process what just happened. Amaris was still sitting on the bed, her ears flicking as she appeared to be lost in thought.  _ "I was able to catch a glimpse of her night terror."  _ She murmured, laying down fully and curling into a ball. Her fur was bristled, so she actually looked like a puffball, radiating a faint silver glow from where she was in the middle of Brooke's bed. 

"...It was bad, wasn't it? She's had nightmares before- but she's never screamed like that." Jayden pointed out, Brooke screaming his name ringing in his head. That's what woke him and the rest of the team up, to begin with, fear instantly clawing at his heart. It wasn't even Red, it was  _ Jayden.  _

_ "Brooke was fighting herself, in both a literal and figurative sense. I could only see so much, as her brain subconsciously blocked me from reading her thoughts, but she presumably lost sight of her humanity. Killing the cognitive version of herself caused it to change forms, taking Jayden's upon itself. That is what caused her to scream,"  _ Amaris explained, her ears pressed to her head. Even she looked shaken up, which was strangely out of character for the white wolf.  _ "She is alright, I am still feeling her presence. All I am able to ask of you two is to not overwhelm her, as she has lost sight of humanity. She will presumably be back tomorrow."  _ She added, but it was little reassurance for the red and gold rangers. 

The three sat in silence again, Jayden trying to sort through his thoughts. He had just bought Brooke a necklace- and she screamed out his name because she killed him in a dream. It was almost  _ laughable  _ on how things went from enjoyable to hell on earth in a matter of hours. He knew it wasn't her fault, and he didn't blame her. He just didn't know what to do. 

"Do you have any idea on what to do?" Jayden blurted, petting the top of Amaris' head gently. She had tucked her snout under her tail, shutting her eyes and not saying anything. "We're not ten anymore." He remarked, Antonio letting out a weak laugh. 

"Yeah, we're not," Antonio muttered in agreement, clasping his hands together. "I think… this is bigger than us.  _ Deja que las cosas sean, _ " He thought aloud, noticing Jayden's confused look. "Leave things be. It's the best we can do at the moment." He explained, Jayden frowning slightly, but eventually letting out a heavy sigh. 

"Yeah. You're right," Jayden agreed hesitantly, his mind at war with his heart. While a part of him just wanted to comfort Brooke- he knew that this was bigger than his comfort _.  _ "I- I bought her a necklace. I was planning to actually tell her how I felt about her- but I don't think that's happening anytime soon." He joked bitterly, Antonio raising his eyebrows. 

"With what money? You didn't  _ steal  _ anything, did you?" Antonio teased, trying to lighten the mood. It did work somewhat, as Jayden felt the corners of his lips twitch. 

He shook his head, letting out a quiet laugh. "Ji used to give me an allowance, and I have a credit card I never really had a use for," Jayden explained, one hand stroking Amaris' fur. "If he looks at the purchase history, I might be in trouble, but… It's worth it." He stated, glancing at his flannel on Brooke's bed. The fact she wore it made him happy, but it still didn't stop the sense of worry he felt. He didn't know what to do in that regard. 

"Took you seven years." Antonio joked, Jayden lightly hitting his shoulder and rolling his eyes in response.

"I'm going to head to bed," Jayden stifled a yawn with his hand. He felt a tension headache coming on, so he planned to sleep it off before it got too bad. He rose from where he was kneeled at Brooke's bedside, ignoring the ache in his legs as he did so. "Amaris, you can stay with me, if you want." He offered, the white wolf lifting her head and blinking slowly. 

She thought for a moment, then standing up and stretching. Amaris shook out her fur, letting out a yawn of her own.  _ "That would be ideal, thank you,"  _ She thanked, then turning her attention to Antonio.  _ "Goodnight. Sleep well."  _ She murmured, nuzzling his cheek. 

"'Night, you two. See you, and Brooke, tomorrow." Antonio mused, scratching behind Amaris' ears and then standing up from his seat on the edge of Brooke's bed.

"Let's hope," Jayden muttered, glancing at Brooke's samuraizer and phone from where they laid on her nightstand. He couldn't even get in contact with her if he tried, and he wished he could. However, he also knew she was in no state to answer or hold a meaningful conversation. So, he kept his wishes to himself.

A wolf howling broke him out of his thoughts, Jayden and Antonio sharing the same thought process. It was most likely wolf-Brooke, as she and Amaris were the only wolves that were in the area. It made Jayden wonder  _ how  _ he ended up catching feelings for the amnesiac who could turn into a wolf at will. Not that he was complaining, he was glad his brain decided to fixate on Brooke, but at times like these, all he could do was let out a faint laugh. Turning off the lamp on her nightstand, he walked out of her room, Amaris padding beside him, shutting the door behind himself. 

* * *

Letting out a groan as she woke up, Brooke blinked rapidly as her eyes adjusted to the sunlight filtering through the canopy of the forest. Once her eyes adjusted, she forced herself to sit up, surveying her surroundings as the gears in her brain started turning. She felt nauseous and exhausted, her head pounding in steady tune with the beating of her heart. Her body also throbbed, but Brooke shoved it aside as her senses started to kick in. She didn't know why she was in the woods of all places, but she realized it wasn't for a good reason as the smell of blood assaulted her senses. 

It was coming _from_ _her,_ Brooke looking down at her body. The grey tank-top she was wearing was streaked with blood, her legs caked with a mixture of dirt and blood as well. Her hands and forearms were the worst, as she could barely see her skin with the amount of blood that covered it. It was all just red- and not the pleasing color Jayden usually wore. Brooke knew it was bad to be covered in so much blood, but she couldn't feel anything. Instead of her emotions she just felt blank, a husk of herself. 

She sadly knew the feeling all too well- it meant that she had lost sight of her humanity, wolfing out. Well, at least it meant there were no hallucinations, but Brooke couldn't even be somewhat relieved at that. With the limbic system controlling her shifting and her emotions, whenever she uses up all of the energy her wolf form provides her, her emotions tapped out. It was good in some cases, such as now, because that meant Brooke couldn't have another panic attack and wolf out for the second time. It was bad because she knew she would have to take the walk of shame back to the Shiba House and face the team. 

"Fuck." Brooke groaned, pushing herself to her feet. That caused a new wave of nausea to surface, and she tasted blood as she wet her lips. It wasn't human blood, it was deer, which was a taste that was sadly familiar as well. So, she had presumably eaten raw deer. That thought alone made her stomach churn, and while Brooke  _ could _ eat raw meat and not face any consequences, she didn't enjoy it. 

Grey eyes scanned the area, and Brooke didn't even know where the fuck the deer  _ was.  _ It wasn't anywhere near her, and she couldn't find the mental strength to care. Something else would eat it sooner or later. She couldn't even tell where she was, as she didn't recognize the area, surprisingly enough. And it's not like she could retrace her steps, she didn't even have memory of running into the woods. All Brooke remembered was waking up in bed from a nightmare. It wasn't much to go off of, her letting out a quiet sigh. 

Luckily, in a flash of silver, Amaris appeared. Violet eyes scanned Brooke's blood-covered body, filling with concern for a moment. However, it quickly got snuffed out by her usual motherly look.  _ "Glad to see you are alright, my dear."  _ The white wolf greeted, Brooke forcing a small smile. 

"We're surviving, Amaris. That's pretty much it," Brooke muttered the last sentence, swallowing down stomach acid. She wanted a nap in Jayden's arms- but she also didn't want him to see her like this. "Can you take me back?" She asked, turning her attention to Amaris.

The white wolf said nothing but obliged, and, in a flash of silver, Brooke found herself standing at the edge of the woods. Spying the gates leading to the Shiba House, she started walking, sorting through the static that was her thoughts. She  _ didn't  _ want to do this, frankly, she wanted to get blackout drunk and deal with the consequences later. However, it wasn't possible, Brooke letting out a sigh as gravel crunched under her feet and Amaris' paws. 

_ "I will help you in facing the others. Do not worry in that regard."  _ Amaris reassured Brooke, reading the silver ranger's thoughts. She was unfazed by that, grey eyes showing no emotion, her mouth and chin covered in blood. 

As she got closer to the back entrance, Brooke heard the sounds of the rest of the rangers training. Well, there goes her plan of just sneaking in and taking a shower. She had to face the others covered in deer blood- one of which she had feelings for.  _ Great. _ She didn't even know what to really say, she couldn't really come up with a proper explanation other than "I wolfed out". She didn't even  _ want  _ to bring up the fact that she ate raw deer, so she wasn't planning to. 

Only Mike, Emily, and Kevin were training, actually, which made things a little easier. The three rangers snapped their attention to the silver, eyes widening as they took in the fact that Brooke was covered in blood. 

"Oh my god, Brooke! Are you alright?" Emily exclaimed frantically, running over and instantly inspecting Brooke for any injuries. 

"It's fine. it's not mine," Brooke replied, her voice almost monotone. She tried to force a smile, but she looked more pained than anything, so she quickly gave up on that. "Deer. Wolfed out." She explained, noticing that Mike had gone back into the Shiba House to get the others.  _ Fuck.  _

Emily's eyes widened, the younger girl obviously trying to process the information. "Deer? As in… you killed it?" She thought aloud, Brooke bracing herself for the fear that was going to shine in the yellow ranger's eyes. 

However, it never came, and that caused a tiny sense of relief to break through Brooke's emotionless state. "Yeah,"  _ Ate it, too.  _ She agreed, the sense of relief instantly being snuffed out. "I can't control it, obviously, and I became a wolf. Physically  _ and _ mentally." She declared, peering over Emily's shoulder. 

Grey eyes met blue, Jayden instantly feeling a sense of relief wash over him.  _ She was okay.  _ However, that relief soon turned into worry, not even for the fact that Brooke was covered in blood. Well, that was one of the reasons, but the most prominent one was the way her eyes seemed lifeless. His eyes sparkling with a mix of worry, relief, and concern, Jayden hesitantly took steps forward to stand next to Emily. Amaris' words rang in his head, and he knew he shouldn't overwhelm Brooke. The six other rangers knew they could be walking on eggshells if they weren't careful. 

"You guys have those looks in your eyes," Brooke announced, scanning the team's faces. "The "I'm trying not to show my fear" looks. You don't have to hide it, I understand completely why'd you all be scared." Her emotionless expression broke for a second, an expression of hurt crossing her features, but it was quickly snuffed out again. 

"Brooke, you're covered in blood. I think we have a right-" Mike started, Kevin instantly cutting him off and saving the conversation. 

"Do you know what happened?" Kevin questioned, Brooke letting out a forced laugh that sounded like a noise of pain. 

"If I knew, I'd tell you. All I remember is waking up from a nightmare, and then I woke up in the middle of the woods covered in blood," Brooke answered, glancing back at the way she came. "The deer's somewhere in there," She muttered, letting out a quiet sigh and turning her attention back to the six other rangers. "Anyways, I'd get why'd you all be scared of me. No use hiding it, I understand. If this hasn't happened four other times, I'd be scared too." She added, pointing to herself with her thumbs for emphasis. 

"We're not scared of you, Brooke. We're scared  _ for  _ you, is there anything we can do?" Mia offered, Brooke sucking in a sharp breath. She was obviously struggling to find the right words, so Amaris chimed in. 

_ "Leave her be, she is fine. It is a factor of life for shifters, there is no reason for concern."  _ Amaris responded, her tail and ears flicking once. 

Nodding weakly, Brooke flashed the team a thumbs up. "I'm sorry for worrying you all, I'll try to make sure it won't happen again. I can't promise anything, however." She mumbled the last sentence, the six other rangers sharing worried and slightly unconvinced looks. 

"Okay, but if you need anything, you can come to one of us. We're happy to help you." Emily offered, shooting Brooke a reassuring smile. She only flashed a thumbs up in response, four of the six rangers turning around and walking back into the Shiba House. 

That left Antonio and Jayden, both of them looking at their childhood friend with concern. "How are you?" Antonio asked, cutting Brooke off when she opened her mouth to answer. "Truly?" He added, Brooke running a hand over her face and letting out a sigh. 

"I… I don't know. Tired and empty, mostly. That's about it," Brooke responded, making a random hand motion and then dropping her hands to her sides. "It's fine. It's happened before, it'll probably happen again. Don't worry about me." She urged, brushing past the red and gold rangers to head inside. 

"We care about you, okay? Remember that." Jayden reminded Brooke, grabbing her wrist before she could head inside. He had honestly expected her to respond negatively, to just brush him off and continue walking inside. 

"I care about you two. So so much," Brooke replied, shooting her two childhood friends a small smile. Although it being barely there, it was genuine, sincerity breaking her monotone voice. "I just need to be alone for a bit. I'll be back to myself in a little while." She promised, and with that, she walked back into the Shiba House, Amaris padding beside her. 

* * *

Jayden's meetings always had the worse timing, and he felt guilty when he saw the dark circles under her eyes. Brooke had just finished getting dressed when he had called the meeting, wet strands of hair framing her face. At least she didn't look emotionless anymore, exhaustion taking the place of the dead look in her eyes _.  _ Jayden had told her that she didn't have to come, but he knew it was somewhat pointless. Brooke was going to work herself to the point of self-destruction, which is something that he  _ didn't _ want to see happen. However, he knew it was just a factor of being a ranger at this point. If he was in the same state- he'd still have to direct the meeting. 

Six of the seven rangers were present, Kevin surprisingly being the one that didn't show. Brooke had taken her usual seat, somewhat zoning out as she judged the color of red Jayden wore for the day. He still had the grey overcoat- the emotional support overcoat, if you will, with the traditional red crewneck t-shirt underneath. The t-shirt was a darker red, but Brooke was snapped out of her analysis when Jayden started talking. 

"The bullzord has the power to combine all of the zords into the samurai gigazord," Jayden explained, holding the bull disk in his hand. Grey eyes met blue, he and Brooke launching into a silent conversation for a moment. "Even the Wolfe family." He added, answering the silver ranger's silent question, who looked more relieved than anything. 

"Yeah, but that's some bad mojo. There's a reason the bullzord was buried away for three hundred years." Mike pointed out, Brooke laughing quietly, something akin to playful mischief sparkling in her eyes. 

"Bullzord failed the vibe check," Brooke muttered under her breath, sliding the compass charm on her necklace back and forth. It was a habit at this point, she always did it during meetings. It kept her hands busy. 

While Jayden didn't hear what she said, Antonio did. He playfully slapped her leather-clad shoulder, Brooke snickering and breaking into a grin. That's another thing the team picked up on, the silver and gold rangers always bounced off each other during the meetings when Ji wasn't around. Most of the time Jayden just let his two childhood friends do their thing, as it did make him happy to see the two rangers acting like they did when they were ten. It was a sense of bittersweet nostalgia. 

"No doubt it's risky. If not done right, all of the zords could be obliterated. But," Jayden started, walking over to Antonio and clapping the gold ranger on the shoulder. "I'm sure Antonio can do it." He finished, handing the bull disk to Antonio, who was surprised at the sudden attention. 

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, but Kevin is the one to go to for megazord combinations," Antonio stated, setting the bull disk on the coffee table. 

"Thought you got in trouble." Brooke teased under her breath, dropping the compass charm. She grinned in response to Antonio's deadpan look, but soon her focus snapped to Jayden. 

He had taken his usual seat next to Brooke, the smell of spice and smoke instantly clouding her brain. She was still too tired to shift, her eyes weren't even flashing, but her senses were still heightened. Not that she was complaining, and the warmth he almost  _ radiated  _ was nice as well. "You two are something else," Jayden muttered, his two childhood friends grinning. "Meeting adjourned." He added, Emily scanning the five other rangers. 

"Where is Kevin, anyway?" Emily wondered, knitting her brows.

Mike, however, didn't seem to share the same worries. "He's probably training somewhere. It's Kevin, he'll be fine." He answered, rising from his seat. Mia and Emily shared a look of uncertainty but nodded hesitantly, the three rangers leaving the meeting room. 

That left Brooke, Jayden, and Antonio. The three sat in silence for a couple of moments, until Brooke broke the silence with a yawn, which she stifled with her hand. "God, I'm so tired." She complained, letting out another yawn. 

"It's good to see your back to yourself," Antonio remarked, Jayden silently offering Brooke his shoulder. 

"Yeah. Wolfing out fully just fries my brain to the max. My personality decides to leave for a little bit." Brooke replied, shooting Jayden a thankful smile and then resting her head on his shoulder. Soon spice and smoke was the only thing she could smell, and she tried to keep herself awake, she really did. 

It was all for naught, because Brooke almost instantly fell asleep, Jayden shaking his head with a small smile. "That was fast." He mused, using his free hand to brush some of Brooke's hair out of her face. 

"You're whipped." Antonio declared, Jayden rolling his eyes as heat rose to his face. 

"Yeah, I know." Jayden agreed, his voice quiet as he glanced down at Brooke sleeping on his shoulder. 

There was no use in denying it anymore, Jayden had stopped playing the game of denial with himself when he bought the necklace. Which was awkward in itself, as he had no idea as to what certain gemstones or crystals meant, but he managed. At least he thought he did- and all he needed to do was confess. Which was the hard part, but he'll work it out somehow. He was planning on writing a letter- since he was already probably doing too much. It also made it easier, because Jayden didn't have to  _ talk.  _ Which meant less room for error, less of him tripping over his words. 

He wanted everything to be _right-_ as Jayden didn't want to lose one of his best friends and his crush. It was his only crush, and he wanted it to stay that way. He wanted to have Brooke in his life for as long as he could, but expressing that was difficult. Especially when you're already lacking in some social skills and are not exactly the most in-tune with your feelings. Even still, it'll work out. _Like it always does._

* * *

A nighlok always ruined the show, the six morphed rangers reaching the park. Kevin was also present, but he wasn't morphed, but Brooke didn't focus on that for very long. With a discreet nod to Jayden, the red and silver rangers leapt upwards and performed identical downward strikes. The strikes sent the nighlok toppling to the ground, smoke rising from its body as the two rangers landed on their feet. 

As the nighlok shouted out in surprise, the green ranger turned to the blue. "Kev, morph already!" Mike urged, Kevin's expression instantly filling with a mixture of guilt and frustration. 

"I wish I could, but the nighlok ate it," Kevin explained, four of the six rangers making noises of surprise. 

"Ate it?" Mia echoed, her voice filled with disbelief. 

"Don't worry, we'll stop him. Just stay back." Jayden commanded as the nighlok picked itself off of the ground. He and Brooke glanced at each other, the red ranger readying his spin-sword while the silver readied her Wolf Kunai. She felt exhausted, and she knew she couldn't shift without passing out. But, Amaris was awake and present in Brooke's mind, so that was reassuring. 

"Y'know it's rude to interrupt someone when they're eating!" The nighlok chided, its arms growing and barreling towards the rangers. 

Before the nighlok's arms could make contact, a translucent purple wall appeared in front of the seven rangers. "It's like that long-armed one from forever ago," Brooke recalled the memory with a bittersweet smile. It was before she knew what she was getting into, when she had  _ much less  _ trauma. Though it was a good memory overall, because now she had the team by her side. "I can't shift right now, but I can tell you where the arms are coming from if you want." She offered and was pleasantly surprised to see Jayden nod. 

"Yeah, that would be great. Thanks." Jayden thanked, Brooke humming in response. 

After the rest of the team got knocked down, the silver and red rangers ran forward. They moved in mostly silent harmony, Brooke calling out where the nighlok's arms would pop up every now and again. Once she and Jayden had settled into a routine, the two rushed the nighlok. They both slashed twice with their blades, the four attacks sending the nighlok flying backwards in a small explosion.

"Forget this, I'll just eat somewhere else." The nighlok grumbled as it landed near a grate. The monster then picked itself up off of the ground, disappearing in a flash of dark red. 

"That was fast." Mike summarized, the team jogging over to where Jayden and Brooke were standing. The six rangers sheathed their blades and demorphed, their suits disappearing in flashes of their respective symbols in their respective colors. 

"Yeah, but what about Kevin's samuraizer?" Emily wondered, knitting her brows slightly as she peered at the grate from where she was standing. 

"He'll be back when he gets hungry. By the looks of it, it shouldn't be that long." Antonio replied, Brooke running a hand over her face. 

It felt weird to not have her inhumane features, and she didn't feel like  _ Brooke.  _ However, she shoved that feeling aside for the time being, hooking her thumbs on the belt loops of her jeans. "Is it bad I'm not even surprised about all of this? Like," She cut herself off with a yawn, stifling it with her hand. "Compared to the other stuff we've seen, this is much tamer. Even if it's a nighlok eating until it fucking explodes or something." She finished, glancing at Kevin. Mia was trying to console him to the best of her abilities- which was something she actually did quite well. 

"Yeah, but I feel bad for Kevin," Emily remarked, the four others jogging over to the blue and pink rangers. 

"Don't worry man, we'll get it back," Antonio reassured Kevin, but the blue ranger seemed unconvinced. He said nothing about it, however, Brooke noticing that his eyes were locked on a poster. 

* * *

That night, the team, sans Kevin again, sat in the meeting room, the six rangers throwing out ways to get the blue ranger's samuraizer back. Brooke had even brought out her notebook and was flipping through her family's archives to see if there was anything useful, half paying attention to the conversation at hand. Amaris was asleep on the cushioned seat next to her and Jayden, the white wolf resting her head on the red ranger's thigh. 

Despite the situation, Jayden was somewhat content. The tension headache hadn't even started yet, it could be the first day in a while where he didn't have one. Which would be nice, because it's been months since he  _ hasn't  _ relied on ibuprofen to get him through the night. The thought was strangely freeing, but he didn't show it. He just locked his emotions away, keeping his face neutral. 

"Kevin's back," Brooke announced, not even looking up from her notebook when her hearing perked. It took a couple seconds, but the blue ranger rounded the corner, stopping in front of the entrance to the meeting room. 

"Dude, where have you been? We've all been thinking of ways to get your samuraizer back." Mike questioned, but Kevin didn't seem too thrilled about it. He didn't seem to be too thrilled about anything, his voice monotone as he spoke. 

"Oh, yeah. Right, thanks." Kevin thanked, but he sounded dejected and defeated. With that, he walked down the hallway without a word of explanation as to  _ why  _ he sounded so out of it. 

"It's more than just the samuraizer," Mia concluded, watching Kevin's retreating form with a small frown. "I think something happened." She speculated, turning her attention back to the team. 

"You're right. I saw this in town today," Ji agreed, seemingly materializing out of nowhere, the older man having a rolled-up poster in his hand. "Kevin's old swim team is in town for the regional finals." He explained as he unfurled the poster on the coffee table, the team almost crowding over it. 

Sniffing the air, Brooke nodded. "Chlorine," She declared, wrinkling her nose slightly. "It's pretty strong too, so it must be a public pool." She added, grey eyes landing on the hallucination of the day. This one was even more concerning then James or Jane- it was  _ Deker.  _

The half-human had his sword in his hand, his gaze levelled with Brooke's. "Silver ranger, we shall duel again." He stated, the ranger in question jumping up from her seat. 

Her chest heaved and she moved without thinking, summoning her Wolf Kunai and sending the weapon hurtling towards Deker. The tip leaf-shaped blade was pointed right at his heart, but the kunai phased through the hallucination. It embedded itself into the wall behind the hallucination of the half-human, Brooke resummoning her Wolf Kunai in her hand. She raised the weapon to throw it again, but was stopped by a warm hand grabbing her arm. It was Jayden, him standing up from his seat, Amaris also being awake and looking at Brooke with concern. 

"Brooke, nothing's there. It's alright," Jayden reassured Brooke, dropping her wrist. All she did was nod, her kunai disappearing in a flurry of silver particles, grey eyes still transfixed on the spot. He then continued the meeting like nothing happened, trying to change the subject. "Listen, Kevin can't fight without his samuraizer, and he needs time to figure things out." He stated, Mike nodding. 

"Then we'll give it to him. And find his samuraizer in the process." Mike vowed, and with that, the meeting was over. Most of the team left the room, the trio of childhood friends and the white wolf somewhat lagging behind. 

Brooke shifted her attention away from the wall, planning to call Nate for reassurance and then cry herself to sleep. The hallucination of Deker had left, but she couldn't necessarily feel relieved about it. Since the hallucinations were talking- it meant they were getting worse. And while she  _ didn't  _ want to tell Ji or Jayden about them, she realized she just might. The internal debate raged on, but it was solved rather quickly. 

"Brooke, do you have a moment?" Ji's voice snapped Brooke out of her thoughts, and she turned to see the older man looking at her with a mix of sympathy and concern. "You're having hallucinations, aren't you?" He speculated, Jayden and Antonio sharing a confused and worried expression. 

"Wonder what gave that away," Brooke joked bitterly, motioning to the hole in the wall that the Wolf Kunai made. "But, yeah. Deker talked to me just now, that's why I flipped my shit." She answered, instantly noticing Jayden's fight-or-flight response to the half-human. He didn't say anything, but she felt as he gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze. 

"How long have you been experiencing them?" Ji questioned, Brooke counting her fingers and muttering under her breath for a moment. 

"Three days? Maybe four at most, they all just blur together at this point." Brooke answered, noticing the fact that Jayden's hand didn't leave her shoulder. She didn't say anything about it, it was grounding, in a sense. 

Ji let out a sigh at that, thinking about what to say for a moment. "I will let Nate know. If they get too severe, or any worse, please let me or him know. That is not something that should be taken lightly." He urged, Brooke nodding. This time she was glad her inhumane features tapped out because the amount of stress that just hit her was immense. 

"Understood." Brooke agreed, Ji nodding and then leaving the meeting room. 

That left the three, Jayden and Antonio instantly turning their attention to their childhood friend. "Hallucinations?" They both blurted in unison, and if it wasn't directed at her, Brooke would've found it funny. 

"Brooke, you could've told one of us." Jayden reminded her, his hand dropping from Brooke's shoulder to his side. 

"That's something you can't deal with on your own." Antonio agreed, nodding slightly.

Brooke slid the compass charm back and forth on the chain of the necklace chewing on her bottom lip. She tried to think of the right thing to say, to somehow get Antonio and Jayden off of her back. "You both have enough on your plates as it is, I don't want to overburden you guys with my bullshit. It's all on me, and I don't want to drag you guys into it." She muttered, dropping the compass charm and levelling her gaze with Jayden. He had the crease about his eyebrow that meant he was slightly annoyed, Brooke bracing herself for that. 

"If it's affecting your performance in battle, Brooke, I need to know. That's my job. As your leader, I need to know what's going on with you, at least to a degree, so I can plan accordingly. I need to know these things for a variety of reasons," Jayden argued, but his voice was soft. The last thing he wanted to do was make it seem like he was angry at Brooke, because he wasn't. He was more worried than anything. He didn't even want to pull the "as your leader" card, but he felt like it was the only thing that would get across at the moment. "It's not dragging me into things if I need to know them. You've been working yourself too hard, and I mean that as your leader  _ and  _ your friend. I know the signs of exhaustion when I see them, Brooke. Don't make yourself miserable, you can take a break if you need-" He started but Brooke cut him off with a dry laugh. 

"Red, I don't need special treatment. I don't need the break, and frankly, it makes me feel worse. I don't need to take a break, I don't  _ want  _ to be the one who's sitting out just because the symbol I'm trying to master is giving me hallucinations. I don't want to be the one who needs the special treatment, I don't need a break. You don't need a break, do you? You're in the same boat I'm in, if not overloaded with more shit to deal with. I don't want to be treated like I'm weak or can't handle it. I… I'm sorry," Brooke stopped herself from talking when her voice cracked and her hands started shaking. Jayden and Antonio had dealt with enough of her for a lifetime. "I don't want you guys getting sick of me, or annoyed with me because I take up all of your time. I- I want you guys around all of the fucking time, but I just- I don't want to be clingy and scare you guys away. I don't want to lose you two because I'm so fucked up that I need someone around all the time. I don't wanna lose you guys because of my own insecurities." Her voice wavered, grey eyes shining with tears from the overhead light. She just squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head, turning on her heel and getting ready to walk down the hallway. 

"Brooke, you're not going to scare us away or anything like that. I can tell that this morning has gotten to you, and you're exhausted. It's okay to take care of yourself, you can be weak once in a while," Antonio stated, letting out a faint laugh as he recalled memories from when the three of them were younger. "You listened to us complain all the time- every time one of us was upset, you were the first one to comfort us. Frankly, we owe you for the number of times you've taken one for the team, then and now. Don't beat yourself up because you need to take a break. It's okay too." He finished, Brooke feeling as silent tears rolled down her cheeks. 

Turning around, she said nothing, just tackling the two taller boys into a hug. They both felt her shaking, Jayden burying a hand in her hair. "We love you, Brooke. More than you know." He stated, he and Antonio tightening their grip on Brooke as she let out a sob. 

* * *

That night, Brooke and Jayden shared a bed again. It was more often than not that they did this, Jayden realizing he hardly slept in his own room anymore. Not that he  _ minded,  _ he would take Brooke curled up at his side over his own empty bed any day of the week. He enjoyed the way she latched onto him, such as now, with her face buried into the crook of his neck. She had an arm thrown across his chest and he had a hand nestled in hair, and, to Jayden, it felt  _ right.  _

"This is probably my favorite part of the day." Jayden murmured, Brooke raising her head from the crook of his neck. She was half asleep, blinking slowly at him as she processed what he said. 

When Brooke did, she broke into a sleepy smile, letting out a noise of contentment. "That makes me happy, 'cause I want you here. I wouldn't have anyone else here, other than Amaris." She joked, glancing at the white wolf. Amaris was  _ not  _ crushing on Jayden, but Brooke found herself smiling at the thought, letting out a quiet laugh. 

"You're beautiful," Jayden blurted, heat rising to his face as his mind blanked.  _ Well, great.  _ His heart was pounding in his ears, and he so desperately tried to save the conversation. He didn't mean to say that at all, now he was mentally kicking himself for it. "I- I mean it. You're beautiful." He realized he was just repeating himself because he didn't have anything else to say, and he knew Brooke probably knew that. 

"You're the first guy that's told me that in a while. In fact, I think you're the only person that's called me beautiful and  _ not  _ as a shitty way to flirt," Brooke murmured, her cheeks dusted pink as she broke into an almost nervous smile. She decided to press her luck a little bit, resting her forehead against Jayden's. The red on his face darkened but he didn't say anything in protest, his eyes sparkling with an emotion she couldn't place. "You're really attractive, and the red on your face adds to it, y'know. The fact you trip over your words and get flustered at the compliments I give you is really cute. But I've also seen you handle a sword and lead a team of samurai rangers, but I don't know which one's better," She cradled Jayden's face in her hand, feeling the heat of his cheek as she caressed it with her thumb. He had seemingly gone blank, his cheeks and the tips of his ears almost the color of his ranger suit. "You're the type of guy I'm into." She purred, leaning forward and tilting his chin upwards with her pointer finger. She made a move to kiss him-

_ And then her phone rang.  _ Brooke cursed whoever decided to call her, pulling away from Jayden. She rolled over, grabbing her phone off of the nightstand, scanning the caller ID. It was Nate, so she actually couldn't be mad at him. It was just bad timing, but she knew he was just probably checking up on her. Laying on her back, she accepted the call, bringing the phone up to her ear. 

_ "Hey, I'm sorry it's late. I just got a call from Ji about the hallucinations, and I wanted to make sure you were alright. Your mother was experiencing them when she kind of…" _ Nate trailed, the flirty mood Brooke had made instantly dropping. Maybe it was alright she didn't kiss Jayden, she had forgotten that they were in the middle of a war. She had forgotten about her hallucinations. 

"Went insane?" Brooke finished for him, Nate letting out a weak laugh. "And don't worry about it, I'm just heading to bed, thanks for checking up on me." She thanked, spying Jayden out of the corner of her eye. He was having some sort of crisis, as he was staring at the ceiling and  _ muttering,  _ and something about it was endearing. 

_ "Brooke, I'm your father, I'm obviously going to check up on you. You don't have to thank me for being a decent father,"  _ Nate joked, his playful tone then dropping quickly. His mood did a complete one-eighty, his voice having a twinge of fear in it when he spoke again.  _ "What's going on with the hallucinations. Are they talking or anything like that?"  _ He questioned, Brooke instantly feeling a sense of worry fill her gut. 

"I only had one today, because I haven't worked on the symbol for a bit, but yeah, it talked. I know I need to work on the symbol though, but I don't want to put anybody in danger." Brooke answered, and the line went silent for a couple of moments. Then there was a shuffling of papers, Nate clearing his throat. 

_ "Brooke- as much as I hate to say this… Work on the despair symbol, but as soon as something happens, call me and get Ji. I mean it,"  _ Nate advised, urgency clear in his tone. It quickly fell, him taking on a much softer tone that was a mix between apologetic and loving.  _ "I love you, kiddo. With all the stars and the moon, and I don't say it enough considering you're fighting a war. I'm proud of you, Brooke. I love you."  _ He repeated himself for emphasis, Brooke quickly blinking away tears before they could fall. 

"I love you too, Dad. With all the stars and the moon," Brooke sniffled, letting out a watery laugh. "Goodnight." She murmured, and she swore she heard Nate's voice crack when he spoke. 

_ "Goodnight, kiddo. Sleep well, call me if you need anything."  _

With that, the line went dead, Brooke ending the call and setting her phone on her nightstand. She let out a shaky breath, staring at the ceiling for a moment. "Sorry about that, I kinda got… caught up in the moment." She mumbled, trying to desperately make it seem like she  _ wasn't  _ leading Jayden on. Which she didn't want to- she liked him in a romantic sense, it was just difficult given the current situation. 

"No, it's fine. I get it, I was too," Jayden murmured, knowing that he'll probably have to forget that ever happened. That he  _ didn't  _ picture Brooke kissing him, and he  _ didn't  _ enjoy it. It was a game of denial they were playing with themselves and each other. "It was just bad timing and impulse decisions. We're both tired and… yeah." He trailed off, Brooke turning off the lamp. 

It cast the bedroom in darkness, sans the glow from Amaris, Brooke thinking for a moment before she spoke. "Can I get closer to you? If you're uncomfortable and want to leave, you can. I don't want to do anything bad." She asked quietly, Jayden responding without missing a beat. 

"I'm not uncomfortable, I just don't know how to react. You just say things that I've never been told before and- and it's… I don't know," Jayden made a noise of frustration, Brooke letting out a quiet laugh. It was hard for him to say the things he wanted to say coherently, first of all, and so he didn't say anything stupid and put their friendship at risk. Fighting the war would become almost  _ unbearable  _ if he just messed up and made things awkward. "And, uh, yeah. I always-  _ god Jayden. Enough."  _ He muttered to himself, and Brooke couldn't be more grateful for her wolf hearing. 

Still, she said nothing, just biting back her laughter as Jayden wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer to his side. They instantly fell into their routine, Brooke hearing the steady rhythm of his heartbeat as she laid her head on his chest. It was peaceful, and she was starting to drift off when Jayden spoke again. 

"Weird question, but hear me out for a minute. Do you like necklaces?" Jayden wondered, Brooke looking up at him, blinking slowly. 

"That's a  _ really  _ weird question given without context. I like necklaces and rings a lot, I just don't wear them often because of the war," Brooke replied, laying her head on his chest again. "What's the reason for that question?" She questioned, and when Jayden laughed faintly, she huffed, sitting up fully. "What, Red? What's funny?" Thanks to her eyesight, she could make out some of his features. He had a giddy smile on his face, and he looked genuinely happy. Something about it made Brooke's heart swell, her shaking her head with a small smile. 

_ "You're  _ funny," Jayden replied, sitting up as well and wrapping his arms around Brooke's waist. "Lay down, I know you're tired." He murmured, rocking her back and forth slowly. It was out of character for him, but Brooke didn't mind. 

"What's with you right now? Are you okay?" Brooke questioned, feeling as Jayden buried his face into the crook of her neck. He knew he shouldn't be doing this, but the exhaustion was starting to overpower his rational thought process. Which wasn't good by any means, but Jayden was too tired to stop himself. 

"Brooke- I'm really tired and you pretty much fried my brain by flirting with me. I don't know how you can say that stuff and _not_ mess up." Jayden grumbled, his voice muffled. Brooke could feel the heat radiating from his face again, and that caused her to laugh. 

"It's not even practice- I don't know how, actually. I just do, but I like watching you mess up. It's cute," Brooke teased, Jayden letting out a groan of frustration that was muffled by her neck _. _ Something about it was  _ funny,  _ and she muffled her laughter with her hands. It was the kind of laughter that only happened when a person was exhausted, and she knew she should go to sleep. "One last thing." She announced through her laughter, Jayden raising his head from the crook of her neck and squinting at her. 

"If you made fun of me for messing up compliments, I will leave this bed. I'm not joking," Jayden threatened, his voice groggy. It was just an empty threat though, as he didn't want to leave anytime soon. Brooke knew that as well, because she snorted, her body shaking with laughter as she tried to get a coherent sentence out. She really couldn't, Jayden letting out laughter of his own. "You're exhausted, Brooke. Lay down, you can say what you need to in the morning." He offered, Brooke shaking her head. 

"No- no, it's better now," Brooke laughed, only laughing harder as she heard Jayden grumble "here we go". "Shut up. Anyways, you know I mean the stuff I say, right? That I don't flirt with you just to make you flustered. I actually mean the stuff I say." She stated after she regained her composure, her laughter dying out. 

Jayden had gone rigid but then relaxed, a happy smile crossing his features. "You have no idea how happy that makes me." He murmured, pressing a kiss to Brooke's temple. His heart pounded in his chest as they both laid back down, and he quickly fell asleep, having the girl he loved in his arms. 

* * *

The next morning, six rangers that had the ability to fight were called to the city center. It was the same nighlok from yesterday, it was eating a bush, the monster turning their attention to the rangers. "Mmm, candy-colored rangers!" It mocked, Brooke knitting her brows as her eyes flashed. 

_ What kind of candy is silver?  _ Brooke thought to herself, then shaking those thoughts out of her head. She flipped open her samuraizer and activated the brush portion, the others flipping open their samuraizers as well.  _ "Go Go Samurai!"  _ The six yelled in unison, drawing their symbols and morphing into their ranger suits. Well, Antonio texted his symbol, but still. It was the same concept. 

"Ooh, I'm so scared!" The nighlok taunted, and that's when the six ran forward. 

With Brooke having her energy back and  _ not  _ feeling like she was dead on her feet, she found the battle almost  _ easy _ . She was shifting here and there, the brown wolf dodging the nighlok's swings with ease. Despite her being on the team for months now, her being a shifter not really being a secret, the nighlok still didn't know how to fight against wolves, minus Serrator. Which was amusing, Brooke's bones cracking as she shifted back and landing two strong slashes against the nighlok. Her attacks sent the nighlok toppling to the ground, the silver ranger regrouping with the red. 

"We need to locate where Kevin's samuraizer is!" Jayden commanded as the team regrouped. 

"I got it!" Mike declared with almost  _ too much  _ enthusiasm- the green ranger taking his samuraizer out of the pouch on his belt. "Time for a prank call!" He announced, dialing Kevin's number. A picture of the blue ranger in a tutu showed up on the samuraizer's screen, Brooke snorting at the picture then tuning into her wolf senses fully. 

It was faint, but she could hear the familiar sound of a samuraizer ringing. "It's the right arm!" Brooke blurted, readying her katanas. 

"Let's disconnect this call!" Antonio urged, the six running forward, only to skid to a stop when a familiar figure appeared in front of them. 

Eyes widening and turning gold underneath her helmet, Brooke glanced at Jayden. From the way his body showed obvious signs of stress- his body tense and him tightening his grip on his spin-sword, it  _ wasn't  _ a hallucination. Deker was alive, the silver and red rangers having no idea as to how or why. The four others noticed the way the two rangers were tense but unmoving, Brooke's gloved hands shaking slightly. 

"Guess he got kicked out of hell," Brooke muttered, gritting her teeth. Her canines dug into her upper lip, the stinging sensation helping more than anything. The amount of stress that flew into her body was immense, a tension headache instantly making itself present. 

"Deker?" Jayden blurted, the surprise and slight fear he had tried to hide seeping into his tone. He subconsciously made a move to step forward and stand in front of Brooke protectively, but he stopped himself. That would show an obvious weakness, but Deker already knew that. But, the red ranger still stood rigid, blue eyes narrowed and glaring at Deker underneath his helmet. 

"Forgive me, but I must intrude." Deker apologized, the six rangers saying nothing in response. 

"Scarf, hurry up and eat until you pop," Dayu commanded, strolling forward with a dagger in her hand. The nighlok, Scarf, cackled and did what it was told, Brooke and Jayden running into battle against Deker. 

Noticing that Deker had a different blade, rest in peace Uramasa, Brooke decided to use this to her advantage. Her katanas disappeared from her hands in flashes of silver, her kunai taking their places, she blocked Deker's swing with ease. She kicked him back, landing two strong strikes against the half-human, which sent him tumbling backwards. A sense of bloodlust filled her head, the urge to stab him in the heart and end things now increasing with every second. 

"The devil didn't want you around or something?" Brooke taunted, standing in front of Jayden protectively. It may be the adrenaline or the feelings that she had to continuously stuff down, but she didn't want to see him hurt. Definitely not because of  _ Deker _ , of all people. 

"Since my sword, Uramasa broke in battle, my curse wasn't broken," Deker answered as he ran forward again, Brooke jumping back and letting Jayden take the lead. Which surprisingly didn't last very long, as Deker did a backflip over the red ranger, catching him off guard. "You can say I was lost, but now I've been found." He stated, swinging for an area that Jayden was defenseless in. 

Brooke disappeared in a flash of silver, reappearing and blocking the attack. "Pack it up, Socrates." She mocked, but Deker paid no mind. Instead, he noticed how the silver ranger was blocking and returning most of the attacks compared to the red. 

"You're protecting him. Have you finally become the red ranger's lapdog?" Deker wondered, Brooke letting out a growl and kicking the half-human back. 

"I'm nobody's lapdog, I fight for myself," Brooke announced, readying her Wolf Kunai again. She honestly didn't know if Jayden was going to be mad at her for the "lapdog" comment, but he said nothing about it. 

Oh, Jayden was  _ pissed.  _ Not because of Brooke protecting him, it somewhat felt nice to be the one being protected for once, but it was for multiple reasons. The first being the fact that Deker was still alive, because that meant the half-human would probably challenge the red and silver rangers to a duel, the cycle repeating itself until one of them dropped dead. The second was the lapdog comment, but his anger wasn't directed towards Brooke, it was rather the fact that she was referred to as his lap dog. Jayden didn't want her to think that he thought she was just a soldier, because that was far from the truth. It was the fact that Deker had the  _ audacity  _ to even think that. 

"We defeated you once, we can do it again.  _ Together,"  _ Jayden announced, putting emphasis on together and hoping Brooke got the message. He then pulled out the black box, pushing the button on top of the talisman.  _ "Super Samurai Mode!"  _ He called as the Shiba Crest appeared, then turning into the forked cape.

The silver and red rangers then ran forward to help the gold with battling Deker. It was the three childhood friends against the half-human, and it was going pretty well. "Hey, I think he's just stalling for time!" Antonio pointed out, Brooke glancing over at Scarf. 

"Yeah, Goldie's right. This is just the opening act." Brooke agreed, noticing that Scarf was complaining about being full, the two other nighlok hearing him. 

"Alright Dayu, let's do this for Serrator," Deker commanded, running forward, Dayu shadowing him. The half-human and female nighlok landed two powerful strikes on the nighlok, repeating the routine when attacking Scarf's back. 

"Here we fucking go," Brooke muttered, watching as blue lightning and sparks flew from Scarf's body. "It's probably got a special megamode form or something. Like General Gut did." She explained to the team, clicking her tongue when Dayu and Deker fled the team. The stress she felt was making her shake, her heart pounding so fast that it  _ hurt.  _

"We have to get Kevin's samuraizer back!" Emily reminded the others, Jayden responded without missing a beat. 

"Watch this!" Jayden called as he ran forward, the forked cape trailing behind him. He cut off Scarf's right arm, grabbing Kevin's samuraizer and quickly running back as the nighlok went up in an explosion. "Kevin's samuraizer is still-  _ what the hell?"  _ He cut himself off, muttering the last part of the sentence so only Brooke could hear. He was directing the statement at Scarf, who had gone into its second form, now having a large shield, which had a face on it.

The silver ranger patted the red on the back, Amaris putting up a shield of her own. It blocked the blasts that shot out of the shield's eyes, keeping the rangers unharmed. "Told ya so," Brooke muttered, turning her attention to Kevin as he ran up. 

"Jayden!" Kevin called, the blue ranger stopping in front of the red. "Samuraizer or not, I'm here to fight with my team." He announced, Jayden wordlessly throwing Kevin his samuraizer, who caught it and instantly beamed. 

"Suit up," Jayden commanded, but his voice was friendly. However, his friendly tone fell, him placing the super samurai disk into the black box. He closed the talisman, pushing the button on the top of it.  _ "Super Red Combination- Zords, Combine! Claw and Wolf Armor Megazord: Armed for Battle!"  _ He called, the rangers quickly going into megamode power and entering the cockpit. 

Standing beside Jayden, Brooke clutched onto her control panel as the megazord tried attacking Scarf. It was no use, the cockpit of the megazord shaking as Jayden fired off attack after attack. The attacks were getting nowhere, annoyance starting to radiate off of the seven rangers as they regained their footing for the umpteenth time. 

"We have to use the bull disk and form the samurai gigazord!" Kevin announced, slight worry replacing the annoyance. 

"Kev, you sure you wanna risk it?" Mike warned, Kevin nodding. 

"It's the only choice we have!" Kevin defended, and that's what the team did. 

After Jayden placed the bull disk into the black box, the samurai gigazord formed. It was incredibly  _ chunky,  _ it couldn't even move, and Brooke bit back a comment. She had a feeling Jayden would just shun her from the gigazord at that point, so she just stayed quiet for the most part. Though she did call out the  _ "Samurai Gigazord: Armed for Battle" _ call with the others. It felt strangely powerful, having seven rangers chant a giant robot's name. 

"Surprised you haven't said anything about the gigazord yet, Brooke," Antonio called, Jayden instantly cutting Brooke off before she could say anything. 

"Don't get her started," Jayden warned, but it was already too late. 

Brooke snickered, tapping the toe of her megamode boot onto the ground of the cockpit. "Oh, we're starting this. We're discussing this right now," She teased, ignoring what was presumably Jayden's glare. "It's just  _ big _ , like- we can't even move. If it didn't have the power of like, forty-five zords or whatever the fuck, I'd honestly be worried," She started, Jayden just letting her ramble for a moment. He could tell she was trying to cover her stress with jokes, and he let her. "Imagine if the wolf zord couldn't even combine though. You all get your chunky robot and then there's just: the wolf zord. I dunno- let's just kill this thing so I can go scream in the woods." She finished, and the gigazord  _ could _ actually move. 

Not the robot itself, but the fact that it was on the bullzord, which had somehow become a cart. Which Brooke found funny, and she knew it was the stress. Her head pounded, her almost forgetting the attack name as the tiger zord attacked. Antonio followed up with the clawzord's pincer attack, the seven finishing off with a  _ Super Samurai Strike.  _

"Now for the final piece of the puzzle: just use your symbol power, and we'll finish it! You ready?" Kevin asked the team, who all let out statements of agreement.

They then started drawing out the zord symbol powers in turn, Brooke starting right after Jayden. She activated the brush portion of her samuraizer, starting to draw the symbols.  _ "Wolf Zord, Tiger Zord!"  _ She called as she finished the symbols. 狼, the symbol for wolf, and 虎, the symbol for tiger hung in front of her in silver, Brooke just staring at them for a moment. It seemed surreal ending up  _ here-  _ she was standing in a giant robot with her crush next to her, using the powers of other robots to defeat a monster that was planning to flood the Earth with some arson water. It was strange, and she found herself glancing at Jayden out of the corner of her eyes. 

He was doing what he always did, but Brooke noticed the little things that she hadn't picked up on before. As the others were drawing their zord symbols, Jayden was tapping his fingers against the control panel, humming quietly. It was so quiet that Brooke couldn't pick up on it- but she was glad she did. Every little thing like that was making her fall more and more in love with him, and she didn't want it to stop. She didn't want to lose him by any means. 

Brooke snapped out of her thoughts when Antonio finished texting his zord symbols- the gold ranger having the most out of all of them. The zord symbols hung in front of each respective ranger, who all activated them in unison.  _ "Symbol Power: Ultimate Combination!"  _ The seven called, the symbols surrounding the gigazord. 

Jayden even went into Shogun Mode, but the stress he had been trying to hide crept into his tone. When the seven rangers performed the final strike, he had to remind himself that he still had a job to do.  _ "Samurai Rangers: Victory is Ours."  _ He called, but the words felt caught in his throat- because it wasn't a victory. Not even by a long shot. 

Once on the ground, Jayden instantly got tackled into a hug. It was from Brooke, the silver ranger shaking violently as she held onto him like a lifeline. He realized he was shaking too, and he motioned for the team to start walking back with a nod. When they did, he instantly returned the hug, burying a hand into Brooke's hair. The stress he felt bubbled to the surface, and he resisted the urge to cry. 

The two rangers just held each other for a moment, both of them trying not to lose it. They both knew they had to keep their soldier façade up, like they were  _ confident,  _ like defeating Deker was no big deal. It wasn't, but they knew they couldn't let the others know that. So, they just relied on each other for the moment. 

"You look like you needed it just as much as I did," Brooke tried joking when they pulled away, silent tears rolling down her cheeks. She tried to wipe them away with the sleeve of her leather jacket, but it didn't work, so she just quickly gave up on that. "We have to do it all again, huh?" She thought aloud, her voice cracking. She looked at Jayden, who didn't say anything, just looking more scared than she's ever seen him before. "It's okay to cry, y'know. I'm not going to judge you, you don't have to be the red ranger around me." Reaching up, she stroked Jayden's cheek with her thumb, and apparently, that was the confirmation he needed. 

"Ji would be losing it if he saw me like this. The leader of the team finally breaking. The  _ Great Red Ranger  _ finally breaking." Jayden laughed bitterly, his voice cracking as tears rolled down his cheeks. 

Brooke reached up and wiped those tears away with the pads of her thumbs. "Well, Ji isn't here right now, so don't worry about that. It's just me, and you've seen me at my worst so many times," She reassured Jayden, offering him a gentle smile. He returned it with his own small one, the two looking like they've seen hell and back. "It's just me, and I'm never going to judge you for crying or being vulnerable or anything like that. As someone who bottles things up as well, I know it fucking sucks to walk around just feeling shitty. You deserve to let it go every once in a while, it's not a weakness. And I'm realizing I'm contradicting myself from last night, but it's true. I would gladly listen to you if you want to talk, or if you just want to sit with me and not talk at all, that's okay. I just-" She was cut off by Jayden wrapping her into another tight hug. He wasn't shaking anymore, and he let out a shaky breath before he spoke. 

"I want you- I want you around for as long as you can be. I'm not losing you to this war, I won't lose you to this war." Jayden promised to Brooke and himself, pulling away slightly and resting his forehead against hers. 

"Bold of you to assume I'm dying, Red. I'm living on spite and the urge to protect the ones I care about at this point. Which includes you- in fact, I think you're at the top of the list now," Brooke announced, watching as pink bloomed on Jayden's cheeks. Their faces were only a couple inches apart from each other at this point, but she knew she couldn't act on impulse. That wasn't allowed, so she stepped back. "We can walk around if you want. We don't have to go home right away, I'm pretty sure Ji's done with my shit anyways." She joked, Jayden shaking his head with a small smile. 

"If we weren't in this war." Jayden murmured, Brooke blinking owlishly, realization then dawning on her features. 

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Brooke muttered in agreement, willing away her claws and offering her hand to Jayden. He instantly took it, the two rangers intertwining fingers as they started walking aimlessly. "But, the war did give me you, so that's the, like, one good thing it did. I'm planning on keeping you around, too. You're gonna deal with me for a while, Red, it's gonna be a game of who finally gets sick of each other." She joked, Jayden rolling his slightly swollen eyes with a small smile. 

"It's not dealing with you if I want to be here, Brooke," Jayden argued, his voice soft, and he tightened his grip on Brooke's hand. 

"Mhm, that's what they all say," Brooke retorted, but she still gave Jayden's hand a comforting squeeze. "Are you feeling any better? We can talk later if you want. Just say the word." She offered, and Jayden felt a certain sense of happiness fill his chest. 

"Not tonight, but I'll keep it in mind," Jayden replied, Brooke nodding with a small smile. They then walked in comfortable silence, just enjoying each other's company for a while.

After walking for a bit, the pair stopped in the middle of the park, which was mostly empty. Jayden found himself scanning Brooke's face, his eyes lingering on her lips a couple moments longer than necessary. He saw  _ warmth  _ in her eyes, similar to the motherly look Amaris usually had. But it wasn't exactly the same. Brooke was looking at him like he was the best thing she's ever seen, and Jayden didn't exactly know why. But, he was happy about it, incredibly so. "You mean the world to me." He murmured, heat rushing to his face. 

"As do you for me," Brooke returned, a genuine smile ghosting her features. "I care about you, y'know. There's no way in hell we're falling during this war. You have ranger's honor right there." She did a mock salute with two of her fingers, Jayden laughing under his breath. 

"You're really something," Jayden replied, shaking his head. Brooke just grinned in response, and he knew he had a war to fight. He knew that one of the worst enemies he's ever faced came back to life. He was so stressed out to the point where the tension headache was almost unbearable. He knew Brooke was too, as the way she then rubbed her temple, her eyes flashing. 

They both had the weight of the world on their shoulders- which was getting harder and harder to bear. But here they stood in the middle of a park, the silver and red rangers looking at each other like they were the best things they've ever seen. 

* * *

That night, Brooke couldn't sleep. Even after her cry and then walking with Jayden, her mind wouldn't stop racing. So, here she was picking herself up off of the ground for the umpteenth time, working on the despair symbol. This was most likely a bad idea, but she had her phone sitting on one of the benches just in case things went south. 

Turns out south was easy to reach, and Brooke felt her heart stop when she heard a familiar voice. A once comforting voice was full of malice, her eyes widening and turning gold as she quickly tried to push herself up off of the ground. However, she wasn't quick enough, as a foot connected with her ribs in a sharp kick. She made a noise of pain at that, trying to scramble to her feet. It didn't work, Brooke somehow landing on her back. A foot planted itself on her throat, slowly restricting her airway. She made a choked noise for help, but the foot just pressed down further. Spots decorated her vision, her face slowly becoming red as she couldn't breathe. 

A similar shade to the shirt Jayden was wearing, a sinister smile growing on his lips as he applied more pressure on Brooke's neck. "I thought my lap dog would be better than this." He mocked, spin-sword resting on his shoulder. His blue eyes, eyes that Brooke had come to love, were shining with hatred instead of their usual warmth. 

Making a pained noise, Brooke tried to shake her head, tears forming in her eyes as she tried to push Jayden's foot off of her neck.  _ This couldn't be real. This can't be real,  _ She thought to herself as she tried to breathe. Black spots decorated her vision, the gravity of the situation set in.

Brooke realized she might die. She might die, and  _ Jayden Shiba would've killed her. _


	30. the ghost of you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fighting against her childhood friends and teammates was never fun- but Brooke realized she has to before she ends up getting skewered by a hallucination of Jayden Shiba and his spin-sword. That leads her to her stay at Nate's house for four days, in which a talk about Brooke's past actions ensues. Apparently, coming home drunk or under the influence of something that was probably illegal isn't the safest thing in the world. The team also has to find a way to deal with Duplicator- a nighlok who duplicates itself and is a general annoyance.

With Jayden's foot crushing her windpipe, Brooke realized she was absolutely defenseless in this situation. The fact that it was _Jayden_ made it worse for her, as she had comforted him when he cried just hours ago. She couldn't think of a reason as to why he wanted to kill her- because that was no doubtedly his goal. The black spots decorating her vision and lack of ability to breathe made that _abundantly_ clear. Her face was starting to turn purple due to a lack of oxygen, tears rolling down Brooke's cheeks as she let out a pained noise, hoping that it would snap Jayden out of whatever trance he was in. Her claws scratched at the leather of his shoe as she tried to push his foot off of her neck. It did little to help, as he just put more pressure on her neck, restricting her airway further.

"Come on, I thought you could do better. You _are_ my lapdog, after all." Jayden scoffed, blue eyes glittering with slight malice. The smile on his face, as if he was enjoying slowly killing her, struck fear into Brooke's heart. She didn't know how it ended up like this. _She didn't want it to end up like this,_ with the boy she had fallen in love with killing her. 

_"He is not real. This is a product of the hallucinations, my dear. Fight back."_ Amaris urged, Brooke making a choked noise at that turn of events. That made sense to a degree, as Jayden didn't smell like _anything._ It was like he wasn't real, that being all the confirmation Brooke needed to fight back.

Steeling her nerves, Brooke summoned her Wolf Kunai, the silver weapon appearing in her hand. Silently apologizing to Jayden, she squeezed her eyes shut and tightened her grip on her kunai, skewering his, well, hallucination-Jayden's leg. Her kunai had easily pierced through his jeans and most of the muscle in his leg, Brooke pushing the weapon in further with what strength she had. He let out a sharp noise of pain, and it caused him to lessen the pressure he had on her neck. Which was what she was hoping it would do, Brooke pulling her kunai out of hallucination-Jayden's leg and pushing his foot off of her neck. 

Running off of pure fear and adrenaline, Brooke scrambled to her feet, her chest heaving as she sucked air into her lungs. With spots decorating her vision, she acted on autopilot, curling a clawed hand into a fist and punching hallucination-Jayden square in the face. While he staggered back, she spotted her phone laying on one of the concrete benches. _Nate._ Nate could help, and Brooke ran over to her phone, picking it up with shaky hands. 

"Siri, call Nate Wolfe." Brooke choked out, her voice hoarse as she tried to slow down and control her breathing. As her phone automatically dialed Nate, she kept a gold eye trained on hallucination-Jayden. He was still seemingly recovering from the fact that he had gotten stabbed in the leg and punched in the face, the hallucination of the red ranger having an expression of annoyance on his face. 

Nate, much to Brooke's relief, picked up on the first ring. _"Hey kiddo, is something going on?"_ He greeted, his voice slightly groggy. 

"Yeah. I have a hallucination of Jayden Shiba trying to kill me," Brooke answered, her throat raw. She was forcing out the words at this point, and it was painful to do so. Her eyes were still locked on hallucination-Jayden, who had turned his attention to the blood slowly staining the leg of his jeans. However, his eyes soon met Brooke's, who felt her face pale as a sinister grin grew on his lips. "I'm sorry to call you so late, but I need you to be here. I can't handle this by myself." She begged, and she heard the sounds of keys jingling. 

_"Don't apologize, I'll be right there. Hold out for as long as you can. I love you."_ Nate stated, the line going dead after that. 

Brooke set her phone back on the bench, surprised that hallucination-Jayden hadn't lunged at her yet. He was just _staring_ at her, which was almost worse. She readied her Wolf Kunai, slowly walking over to him and steeling her nerves. "What's your story? Aren't you trying to kill me?" She questioned, hallucination-Jayden letting out a bark of laughter. 

"You're still relying on others? Really?" Hallucination-Jayden mocked, completely disregarding Brooke's question. "I don't love you back, you know. Just give up." He announced, Brooke's eyes widening as she felt a figurative knife stab her heart. However, she didn't have much time to mull over what he had said when he ran forward with a yell.

Even a _hallucination_ of Jayden fighting her with an intent to kill was unnerving to Brooke. She didn't know if hallucination-Jayden knew her weak points as the real Jayden did, but she didn't necessarily want to find out. It was extremely difficult to fight the hallucination, and not just because it was Jayden. Hallucination-Jayden was fighting _dirty,_ which was completely out of character. Whenever Brooke blocked one of his swings he responded by trying to punch her in the face. He eventually did land a strong punch that caused her to stagger back. 

Clutching her nose, Brooke barely dodged Jayden's low swing. His spin-sword connected with her upper thigh, cutting through the cloth pants of her training uniform. Pain mixed with the burning sensation of when her skin made contact with silver erupted, Brooke letting out a hiss of pain and gritting her teeth. The skin surrounding the gash on her leg instantly blistered and popped, blood flowing down her leg and dripping on the wooden floor in the outdoor dojo. Her nose was bleeding as well, but she didn't pay attention to it for very long. It was _kill or be killed_ at this point, hallucination-Jayden or no. 

The sound of metal clanging against metal reverberated around the silver ranger and the hallucination of the red ranger, the two attacking each other with malicious intent. Hallucination-Jayden swung for Brooke's neck, which she blocked with her Wolf Kunai. Then she quickly swapped out her kunai for her katanas, jabbing. She managed to stab him in the shoulder, which caused him to jump back. Brooke then slashed with her katanas, which hallucination-Jayden barely blocked with his spin-sword. The two made eye contact, panting, and bleeding from various wounds they caused to each other. 

"Why don't you just give up? It will save us a lot of trouble." Jayden remarked, Brooke jumping back to avoid his jab. 

"I could say the same to you." Brooke retorted, her voice cracking. Her throat felt like she had swallowed thumbtacks, the exhaustion starting to catch up to her. Her training uniform was sticking to her body due to a mix of blood and sweat, and she honestly felt like giving up. 

That seemed to piss hallucination-Jayden off, as he ran towards Brooke with a yell, the battle commencing once again. The two managed to land more strikes and slashes against each other, blood running down Brooke's cheek from a small cut. Hallucination-Jayden was starting to end up in the same shape, blood flowing from a gash on his forehead. His face was shining with sweat, his chest heaving as his already red shirt, which was cut in some places, was being stained crimson. It was a sight that Brooke usually feared, and she still did. She just had to remind herself it was a hallucination, that the real Jayden was safe and unharmed. She just took a deep breath and ran into battle again.

* * *

Antonio was walking down the gravel path, dragging his cooler that carried his fishing supplies behind him. He made his way through the gates, furrowing his brows at the sounds of his two childhood friends yelling. He reached the outdoor dojo, fear filling his gut as he saw Brooke appear behind the hallucination of Jayden. She jumped up and wrapped an arm around his throat, putting him in a sloppy chokehold. Their weapons- her katanas and his spin-sword, were discarded, the blades of the swords having blood coated on them in some places. They were both covered in various cuts, their clothes cut open and blood dripping from the wounds. It wasn't sparring- it was an actual _fight._

Gold eyes met brown, brown and white fur sprouting on Brooke's arms as she tried to keep hallucination-Jayden in a chokehold. "It's a hallucination- _gah!"_ She cut herself off with a noise of pain, hallucination-Jayden having snapped his head back, hitting her in the face. Her nose started bleeding again, her lip splitting open as well. "Get Ji!" She yelled to Antonio, who was staring at the scene, eyes wide. 

However, the gold ranger soon snapped out of his trance and nodded, leaving his cooler as he sprinted into the Shiba House. That left Brooke and hallucination-Jayden, Brooke disappearing in a flash of silver and reappearing on the roof. It was supposed to be a time-out for a moment, a way to collect her thoughts. However, it didn't last very long, as hallucination-Jayden soon joined her on the roof. He had his spin-sword in hand, Brooke ducking under his swing and punching him in the gut. He let out a grunt, staggering back, her taking the precious seconds to summon her katanas. She used the two swords to block his one, the two rangers half running and half fighting on the roof. 

It was going pretty well, meaning that Brooke hadn't been killed, but she felt her heart stop when hallucination-Jayden slid the lion disk on his spin-sword. She traded out her katanas for her Wolf Kunai, sliding the wolf disk on the weapon and spinning it. Her kunai lit up silver while his spin-sword lit up red, illuminated the two's bloody and sweaty faces. They wordlessly fired off the attacks at the same time, the silver and red attacks hurtling towards the red and silver rangers.

The two attacks collided with each other, and it was _loud._ It sounded like a cannon blast, Brooke's ears ringing as she narrowly dodged hallucination-Jayden's downwards strike. Her body throbbed, but she tried to ignore it to the best of her abilities because she knew the fight wouldn't stop until one of them dropped dead. 

Meanwhile, Jayden sat at his desk in his room, running his hand through his hair for the umpteenth time. Making a quiet noise of frustration, he set down his pencil, lead coating the side of his hand. Balled up pieces of paper surrounded him, half-written and poorly worded love confessions. He had been trying to write out his feelings for the past hour, but all it was doing was making him frustrated. Writing out his feelings for Brooke was harder than he thought, and it was still awkward. It was less awkward than actually _talking,_ but it was still awkward nonetheless. 

However, he was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard what sounded like footsteps on the roof. Knitting his brows, Jayden subconsciously glanced at his ceiling, then getting up from his seat at his desk. His first thought was Brooke- as she was the only one that was usually outside this late. However, she was never usually on the roof, and that was slightly worrying. His worry increased when what seemed like a cannon shot going off, Jayden instantly leaving his room. 

The others seemed to have the same idea, which was only the four other original rangers. They all were actually still dressed in their street clothes, having looks of confusion etched on their faces. They all just stood there for a moment, until they heard more footsteps on the roof. It was only one pair, but they were erratic as if they were dodging something. 

"Uh, any of you know what that is?" Mike wondered, voicing the other's silent question. 

Jayden opened his mouth to respond but was cut off by a heavy _thud_ coming from outside. The five ran towards the back entrance, reaching the outdoor dojo. Brooke was the one who had fallen off of the roof, and the amount of blood and cuts covering her body was worrying. She tried to push herself up, making a noise of pain that quickly turned into a noise of surprise. She sloppily raised a katana to block a swing, Jayden feeling his blood run cold as he took in the person who tried to land the swing. 

"Jayden?" Emily blurted, her voice laced with confusion as she glanced at the hallucination of Jayden and then the real Jayden. 

The hallucination was also covered in blood and cuts, blue eyes sparkling with malice as he tried to land another downwards strike. Brooke rolled out of the way, hopping to her feet and lunging at Hallucination-Jayden with a yell. Both of the rangers didn't notice the rest of the team standing there, plus Antonio and Ji. 

"Jayden, do you know what's going on?" Kevin asked, Jayden shaking his head with knit brows. His face was also slightly pale, blue eyes shining with worry. 

"This is the last stage of the hallucinations," Ji answered for Jayden, the older man's eyes trained on Brooke and the hallucination. "The hallucinations take a solid form, attacking those who are trying to master the sealing symbols." He explained, but Jayden was tuning it out for the most part. 

Instead, he was focused on Brooke and his hallucination. Watching _himself_ fight the girl he fell in love with the intent to kill her terrified him. All of this terrified Jayden more than he wanted to admit, and he acted on autopilot. Hearing Brooke's pained yell spurred him into action, his spin-sword appearing in his hand in a flash of red as he sprinted over to his hallucination. He was moving without thinking, blocking a swing that most likely would've decapitated Brooke from where she was on the ground. Landing a strong strike, Jayden winced at the noise of pain his hallucination made. It was all _too real,_ but he didn't focus on that for very long. 

Instead, he turned his attention to Brooke, who was still trying to catch her breath. Her head was spinning, her chest heaving as she tried to suck in as much air as she could. It didn't work, and she just started coughing, which was agony on her already raw throat. She was almost expecting hallucination-Jayden to just run at her and finish the job of killing her, but it didn't happen. The smell of spice and smoke filled her nose, Brooke turning her attention to Jayden. Gold eyes met blue, him wearing a gentle smile as wordlessly offered a hand. She took it, the _real_ red ranger helping the silver to her feet. 

"You put up a damn good fight." Brooke joked, her voice hoarse and cracking. Truthfully, she was glad Jayden was now at her side. It made things a little easier, as he was also attacking his hallucination, so the guilt wasn't there.

"Why'd it take my form?" Jayden wondered aloud, subconsciously wrapping an arm around Brooke's shoulders as she leaned into him for support. 

"Probably 'cause I care about you. The mental torture of making the people you care about the most kill you- _shit."_ Brooke cut herself off, watching as the hallucination presumably started taking another form. 

What was once the figure of Jayden was now just a ball of silver energy, the red and silver rangers both cursing under their breath as they readied their blades. The silver energy took another form, both Jayden and Brooke feeling as their faces paled and eyes widened. It was Antonio, the gold ranger demorphed but having his Barracuda Blade in hand. 

"The gang's all here," Jayden muttered bitterly, turning his attention back to the five other rangers and his mentor. "Go inside! We'll handle this!" He commanded, Ji getting the general message and trying to force the others inside. 

"Brooke, Jayden-" Emily started, but Brooke cut her off quickly. 

"Listen, this isn't a nighlok. It might target you all, so, please. Red and I will handle this," Brooke reassured the five, gold eyes then falling on Antonio. It was clear to see he was having some sort of strong internal conflict, brown eyes snapping to his hallucination, his childhood friends, and then to his hallucination again. "I'm sorry!" She apologized, Antonio snapping out of his thoughts and shaking his head. 

"Yell if you need help, I know how to fight myself better than anyone." Antonio joked bitterly, sparing one last glance at his childhood friends and the hallucination of himself. He just shook his head and let out a noise of stress, walking back into the Shiba House. 

That left Brooke, Jayden, and the hallucination of Antonio. The red and silver rangers just stared for a minute, trying to think up battle strategies on the fly. "I'm sorry, I didn't know it was going to end up like this," Brooke apologized, starting to lose her voice. The fatigue mixed with the pain hit her like a truck, and she stumbled in place, Jayden grabbing her upper arm to help balance her. "Nate's on his way. Hopefully, he has a way to stop this." She added, eyeing the hallucination-Antonio. 

"It's not your fault. It would've happened eventually," Jayden reassured Brooke, removing his hand from her arm. The palm of his hand was now stained crimson, and he made the mental note to stick by her to the best of his abilities. "Here we go." He announced, taking a deep breath. 

The battle began, the silver and red rangers falling into their usual routine. Changes were being made on the fly, as Brooke was already injured and hallucination-Antonio was a completely new opponent. He was labelled as the "fastest ranger on the team" for a reason, but luckily, Jayden knew some of his friend's fighting style. It still didn't feel right- fighting against one of the people who pretty much kept him sane. Even if it was a hallucination, it was convincing as all hell. It made both rangers feel guilty as they landed some of their attacks on hallucination-Antonio. He obviously didn't feel the same guilt, as Jayden was now sporting cuts on his arm and cheek, the front of Brooke's training uniform also being sliced through. 

Seeing Jayden get hurt made Brooke feel guilty. It really did, and a part of her wanted Amaris to teleport him away so that he could be safe. But she had a feeling he'd just come back and get annoyed, so it would be all for naught. So, she shoved down that guilt to the best of her abilities, her gaze locked on hallucination-Antonio. The three had stepped back for a moment, and Brooke heard the warning bells in her mind when the hallucination summoned a disk. As the gold ranger slid the disk on his Barracuda Blade, the silver and red rangers instantly froze, their bodies subconsciously tensing. 

_"Barracuda Bite!"_ Hallucination-Antonio yelled out the attack name, slashing multiple times with his Barracuda Blade. It sent multiple gold attacks hurtling towards Brooke and Jayden, who snapped out of their trances. 

_"Amaris."_ Brooke thought, the translucent purple shield appearing. It blocked the gold attacks, the silver and red rangers discreetly nodding to each other as they moved to run forward again. 

"Again?" Jayden blurted, blue eyes wide as he stared at the ball of silver energy. His body was starting to throb, the cuts covering his body starting to sting. It was nothing too serious, however, as while Antonio's moves were fast, they didn't hold the same strength as Jayden's did. 

Her chest heaving, Brooke tried to mentally prepare herself for whatever hallucination appeared next. She was expecting either Maxx or Casper, as they would make the most sense. She was wrong, however, and when the hallucination formed she nearly cried right then and there. "Mom?" Brooke breathed out, her voice cracking as her gold eyes were transfixed on the hallucination of Jane Wolfe. 

The seventeenth generation's silver ranger was morphed, the familiar silver ranger suit reflecting the yellow light coming from the Shiba House. However, Jane's helmet was off, her thick brown hair tied up into a ponytail, brown eyes turning gold as they landed on her daughter. "Really? _This_ is who I gave my life for?" Jane scoffed, unsheathing her own kunai from where it was sheathed at her hip. "I gave up _everything_ for you, Brooke! You should be better than this." Her attention was focused on Brooke, who said nothing, her canines and claws fully bared. 

"If you don't want to fight her, I can take it. It's my mother, after all. She's probably gonna be fuckin' ruthless." Brooke offered, Jayden quickly shaking his head and tightening his grip on his spin-sword. 

"I'm not leaving you alone out here. We'll figure it out." It was reassurance for both himself and Brooke, blue and gold eyes narrowing at the hallucination. Both rangers were struggling to come up with a battle plan, as they didn't know _what_ Jane Wolfe would do. 

"If she shifts, leave it to me. I'll deal with that," Brooke muttered, taking a deep breath. Her body was tense, her hands shaking slightly. She tried to harden her resolve, and she knew she had to keep Jayden safe. She didn't want her mother killing her childhood friend and crush. "I don't like saying this but- we're probably gonna get our asses kicked. So just… don't be stupid and die on me." She urged, Jayden almost laughing. 

However, he knew it was a warning. He didn't really know anything about his opponent, and that scared him. "The same to you. Let's go." Jayden commanded, and with that, the battle began. 

Brooke was right. The strength Jane carried was far greater than her own, even when she relied on her wolf strength. Every attack made her arms waver and caused her to stumble back. Even Jayden was having trouble just _blocking_ the attacks, let alone retaliation. Jane had much more experience compared to the two seventeen-year-olds, and that was made abundantly clear when Brooke and Jayden were sent to the ground. Both rangers let out groans of pain at that, but they didn't have time to catch their breaths at all. Instead, they just stared at the pure brown wolf standing a couple of feet away from them. 

Jane's wolf form was much bigger than Brooke's, the chocolate brown wolf baring her canines as her gold eyes sparkled with malice. She was tall- almost twice as tall as Brooke's wolf form. It was _terrifying,_ but wolf-Brooke tried not to show it, the brown and white wolf bristling her fur and standing in front of Jayden protectively. He didn't even mind- as he had no idea as to _what the fuck_ he was supposed to do in this situation. He's never fought a wolf before, let alone a wolf that was one of the strongest people he's ever fought. He knew he would have to step in before Brooke got seriously hurt though, so he mentally prepared himself for that. He rose to his feet, wincing at the pain that instantly erupted in his body, and wolf-Brooke lunged with a snarl. 

Watching two wolves fight was… confusing. Jayden didn't know what was truly going on, his brows slightly furrowed. His confusion turned into worry when he heard a sharp yelp, Brooke quickly shifting back. Somehow she had managed to get a sloppy hold on the chocolate-colored wolf, and she ignored the way the wolf's claws scratched at her skin. She had gotten bitten in the leg, and at that point, she knew Jane could easily overpower Brooke in her wolf form. Her mother could easily overpower her in _both_ forms, brown and white fur sprouting on Brooke's arms as she brought her kunai straight down. She was struggling to breathe, her chest heaving as a mix of blood, sweat, and tears rolled down her face. She didn't want Jayden to see her fighting like _this,_ completely feral, scrambling to just wound the wolf.

Making a move to run over there, Jayden tightened his grip on his spin-sword. Instead, there was a flash of silver, Nate Wolfe appearing quickly, Amaris standing beside him. He scanned the area, grey eyes instantly widening when they fell on the hallucination of the wolf and his daughter. " _Fuck._ Amaris, can you get her out of there?" He quickly asked, an ax-staff appearing in his hand in a flurry of light purple particles. 

Amaris quickly obliged, the white wolf sprinting over and slamming her body into the chocolate brown wolf. It caused the wolf to stumble to the side, Amaris wasting no time and teleporting Brooke over to where Nate and Jayden were standing. She landed on the ground with a dull _thump,_ making a choked noise of pain. 

"Hey, kiddo. I've got you, you're alright." Nate soothed, wrapping an arm around Brooke's waist and hoisting her up. She didn't say anything, only instantly stumbling when she tried standing. 

She slumped into Jayden's side, mumbling something that neither Jayden nor Nate could pick up on. "I don't honestly know how long this has been going on for. She was fighting me- well, a hallucination of me for a while." Jayden quickly explained, offering himself as the crutch to help Brooke stand. 

"From the looks of it, probably far too long. Thanks for keeping her alive," Nate thanked, his eyes falling on Jane again. She had shifted back, gold eyes trained on her ex-husband without saying a word. "It's always you, isn't it?" He joked bitterly, and when Jane lunged, he swung his ax-staff. It caught her in the chest and sent her flying backwards, Jayden making a quiet noise of surprise. Nate heard it, and he grinned, shaking his head. "Jane's a real bitch, it's not my first time fighting her. It's just probably going to get messy, so take Brooke inside. I'll handle this." He urged, Jayden instantly shaking his head.

"I can't just leave you-" Jayden started, but was cut off by a sharp whine. Jane had shifted and lunged again, Nate landing a sharp kick against the wolf's side. 

"Dad- you can't fight my battles for me," Brooke forced out, standing upright fully and biting back a noise of pain. Part of her knew she should take Nate's advice, that he was capable enough to fight Jane on his own. But another part of her- the incredibly stupid part, wanted to finish the battle. It was _her_ mess, after all. Having someone else do the work for her didn't sit right with her. "Besides, you can only do so much when she shifts." She added, Nate shooting her a deadpan expression when her voice cracked. 

"...Christ. Some _father-daughter bonding_ this is." Nate muttered, shaking his head. He raised his ax-staff at the ready, only to knit his brows. 

"The hell is she doing?" Jayden blurted, voicing the trio's thoughts. His delivery made Brooke snort, but her sense of humor soon died when she realized what her mother was doing. Nate seemed to come to the same conclusion, the two Wolfes instantly sharing a look of worry. 

Jane had picked up Brooke's- well, _her_ samuraizer, the brush portion still flipped from when Brooke had failed at mastering the despair symbol once again. The seventeenth generation's silver ranger was drawing a symbol, a symbol that Brooke knew all too well. She could only stare at the silver kanji for a moment. It was the despair symbol, and she quickly came to the conclusion that if the symbol hit her, Nate, and Jayden, it would _not_ end well. She didn't know what to do for a moment, her mind just going blank as she subconsciously grabbed Jayden's hand. She knew her claws were probably digging into his skin, but she felt like she needed to know where he was. That he was safe. Or as safe as he could be, for the time being. 

The symbol for despair hung in the air, illuminating Jane's face, which was expressionless. Her gold eyes were emotionless, her enlarged canines peeking out from under her upper lip. Without saying a word, she activated the symbol, and Brooke slid the wolf disk onto her Wolf Kunai. Spinning the disk, she fired off an attack that intercepted the symbol, causing what seemed like another cannon shot to ring out across the outdoor dojo. Without waiting to see what actually had happened, Brooke sprinted forward, tackling Jane and sending her to the ground. The eighteenth generation's silver ranger raised her kunai over her head, both hands wrapped around the leather hilt. She wasn't even thinking at this point- she knew she had to kill Jane. It was self-defense, for Brooke, Nate, and Jayden. 

Squeezing her eyes shut, Brooke brought her kunai straight down. She tried to ignore the sound of the silver weapon being embedded in her mother's chest and the way the smell of blood instantly assaulted her senses. Jane's claws scratched at her daughter's arms, Brooke retaliating by pushing the kunai in deeper. This was the woman who ruined her life, Brooke reminding herself that as she quickly pulled the kunai out of Jane's chest and raised it over her head once again. Strands of black hair hung in her face as she panted, growling incoherent words as blood, sweat, and tears ran down her face. Gold eyes shone with a mixture of fear, guilt, and hatred, Brooke tightening her grip on her kunai to stop her hands from shaking.

 _This is the woman that ruined your life._ A dark voice in Brooke's head rang out as she narrowed her eyes. She barely heard Nate yelling _something,_ her ears ringing as she quickly brought the kunai down. It was meant to go through Jane's neck, to finally kill the hallucination of the person who Brooke felt a mixture of love and hatred for. It was supposed to be a way to get her mother's ghost off of her shoulders. It wasn't Jane who was the silver ranger, it was _Brooke._ And Brooke didn't damn the samurai power rangers into a losing war. She had _won._ The kunai rushed downward, but before it could puncture Jane's neck, the hallucination exploded. 

It was an almost blinding flash of silver, and Brooke couldn't feel _anything_ when she collided with the ground. Her kunai flew out of her hand and skidded across the outdoor dojo, but she couldn't find the mental strength to care. She couldn't find the mental _or physical_ strength to care about anything, her ears ringing. Everything was blurry- and then it went black. 

After a series of hours, Brooke stirred, slowly coming to her senses. She smelt disinfectant, medical supplies, blood, and sweat. Overall, it wasn't a pleasant combination, but it was soon drowned out by spice and smoke. Cracking open a grey eye, she wasn't surprised to see Jayden watching her in concern. His hair was damp and his wounds were bandaged, and that caused a sense of stress Brooke didn't know she had to be lifted off of her shoulders. He was okay. Everyone was fine- well, besides her physical condition. But that was temporary. 

"Hey," Jayden greeted as Brooke opened her eyes fully. He had a warm smile on his face, but it soon fell when Brooke tried to return his greeting. Her voice was completely shot- as she opened her mouth to speak and sounded like a broken speaker. "Okay, so talking's out of the question. But, I'm glad to see you're alright." He added, Brooke breaking into a weary smile. 

Everything is alright now- she'd be fine. Reaching out a bandaged hand, Brooke lightly patted Jayden on the shoulder. It was something he seemed to find amusing, as his blue eyes sparkling with a mix of amusement and adoration. They didn't talk, as Brooke really _couldn't,_ but they didn't need to. It was a comfortable silence, even if they both were in the med bay. Even if Brooke couldn't really move without pain flaring up at every movement. That was fine, Jayden was next to her. She felt safe when he was around, she almost always did. Even when a hallucination of him tried to kill her, and that he was almost successful. 

Closing her eyes again, Brooke just let the feeling of pain wash over her. Everything was sore- everything _throbbed,_ and she wanted nothing more to just wish it away. She had to admit at this point: being a power ranger _sucked._ It wasn't all bad, of course, but it seems like now more than ever she found herself bearing injuries that physically and metaphorically knocked her off of her feet. A tiny part of her brain wished she was in Jayden's shoes- even though he had his own problems to deal with, his own job to do. Hell, he seemed to have assigned himself as Brooke's moral compass and/or damage control, and that was a pain in the ass in itself. At least she thought so. It wasn't like her life was a walk in the park. Or that she made it any easier for herself. Jayden had the patience of a saint. Or he was just extremely stubborn. Though, it was probably both.

Without opening her eyes, Brooke reached out her hand again. She felt as Jayden took it, intertwining his fingers with hers, making a noise of contentment. He let out a faint laugh at that, subconsciously tightening his grip on her hand. "It's strange having you this quiet," He murmured, Brooke opening her eyes just to glare at him. "I'm just saying- even when your side was cut, you still teased me." He added, Brooke rolling her eyes. 

She couldn't respond verbally, so she just pointed to her throat. A collection of bruises formed a shoe print- the shoe print of Jayden's shoes. He seemed to notice that, his blue eyes widening and instantly filling with guilt. "I'm sorry-" He started, Brooke cutting him off by shaking her head. 

Spying her phone from where it was sitting next to her, Brooke grabbed it, forcing herself to sit up. She let out a hiss of pain, her eyes flashing in rapid succession as she bit back a scream. The last time she felt like this was when she broke her ankle, subsequently falling off the roof of Mary's apartment. And this was worse, her entire body throbbing in tune with her heartbeat. It felt like she had gotten run over by a freight train- then thrown off a building. Brooke now wanted nothing more to still be unconscious, but thanks to her being a shifter, she couldn't. She debated knocking herself out for a moment, just slamming her head against the wall hard enough to probably kill brain cells, but decided against it. It's not like Jayden would let her, anyway. 

Shaking her head and sighing, Brooke unlocked her phone and opened the notes app. Creating a new note, she typed quickly, her claws tapping against the screen. Grey-gold eyes scanned the screen before handing the phone to Jayden. Who took Brooke's phone, quickly reading the messages. 

_it's not ur fault. U didn't make the hallucinations, & it only was a hallucination of u bc I care about u. _

_don't apologize for something u didn't do, u don't have to feel guilty about anything. Ty for fighting w/ me_

_If anything, I should be sorry for u fighting for me_

"You don't need to thank me for fighting with you. I'm here with you until the end," Jayden declared, then instantly regretting the words that came out of his mouth. _Until the end wasn't possible._ Not unless he somehow mastered the sealing symbol in like, a week. Guilt made itself present, but he just shoved it down. He couldn't really explain that, and he just hoped Brooke didn't notice that he _was_ guilty. "I want for you to depend on me." He added, his voice barely above a whisper. He handed Brooke's phone back to her, and she instantly started typing again, her eyes flashing as she did so. 

She wouldn't lie, it was somewhat annoying that she couldn't speak, but at least she had a way to convey her thoughts. It was better than playing a game of charades because something in Brooke's mind basically _knew_ Jayden wouldn't be good at them. It seemed like the kind of thing he'd be too dense for. Not that him being dense is a _bad thing,_ it was actually kind of cute, in a way. His sense of disconnect from normal life was endearing, but also saddening. But, still. The way he got confused about mundane things from time to time was cute. 

_I do depend on u. but u have to protect urself b4 you protect me. Put urself first._

_if u have time to protect me, protect urself. Not that I'm not grateful, but I don't want u to get hurt bc u were worried about me. It wouldn't sit right w/ me._

Jayden took Brooke's phone from her hands again, reading the note. "I know, don't worry," He stated, grey eyes meeting blue. "Don't give me that look." 

It was a complete deadpan stare, and Brooke took her phone back from Jayden again. She quickly typed another note, practically thrusting the phone into his hands. 

_I mean it. I don't want to hurt u, directly or indirectly. Promise me._

She was uncharacteristically serious, and Jayden wondered _what_ triggered that. Well, it seemed like him getting hurt, but Brooke was never this serious before. He opened his mouth to respond, only to be cut off by the sound of the sliding door to the medbay being slid open. It was Nate, an expression of relief crossing his features when his grey eyes landed on his daughter. He quickly made his way over to the bed she was sitting on, Brooke breaking into a smile. 

"Hey kiddo, glad to see that you're awake," Nate greeted, gently patting the top of Brooke's head. She did the same thing she did with Jayden, nuzzling into his touch. "Huh. That's new." He commented, Brooke's eyes flashing as she averted her gaze, puffing out her cheeks. 

"She does the same thing with me. I think it's a wolf thing because Amaris-" Jayden was cut off by a flash of silver, the wolf in question instantly appearing. She didn't say a word, just sitting on her haunches next to Jayden. She was seemingly expressionless, but the relief shining in her eyes said otherwise. 

Nate, who had seemingly not picked up on the fact that Jayden openly admitted to being physically affectionate with his daughter, hummed in thought. "Hm. From what I remember, Jane didn't do that. Though, she was never really affectionate." He thought aloud, taking a seat next to Brooke, who's eyes had turned grey-gold at the mention of her mother. 

"...What was she like? Before everything happened?" Jayden asked Nate, who seemed surprised at the sudden question. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring up bad memories." The red ranger quickly added, Nate shaking his head. 

"It's fine, don't apologize," Nate reassured Jayden, before falling silent. "She was… she was strong. Not just physically, ironically enough. When we had met, the war with Xandred had just started, and I was a guard at the Tengen Gate," He explained, a bittersweet expression on his face. "She _scared_ me, honestly. Intimidating as fuck, even more so than your dad- and it was clear they hated each other. It was a fight for the role of the leader of the samurai rangers, and they both were stubborn to have the title." 

Lost in her own thoughts, Brooke tuned out the conversation for the most part. She didn't like the feelings that had surfaced when Nate was talking about Jane. It wasn't any ill will towards Nate, but rather a… a longing. To know what Jane would've been like before the war fucked her up. She wanted to know if her mother truly loved her, even if she was a shifter and her daughter would've been human. If the war had ended earlier- everything would've been different. Perhaps Brooke wouldn't even have _met_ Jayden. Or maybe she would've, but she wasn't really certain. 

However, Brooke's mind kept looping back on the one question. _Would have Jane loved her? Did Jane love her?_ Probably not, and she came to that conclusion from her twelve plus years of missing memories. But it was a nice thought to have, in a way. She wanted to ask Nate, maybe he would know. Well, she wanted to, but also not. 

_"Nate,"_ Amaris murmured, the white wolf flattening her ears to her head. Nate instantly turned his attention to her, quirking a brow. _"Brooke wanted to know if Jane truly loved her. Her perception of her mother is not pleasant, it has not been since she found out what Jane had done. I do not have an answer to give, as I was located on Sweetbrier Mountain."_ She stated, and Brooke didn't confirm or deny the statement. She just shifted her attention to the bandages on her thigh from where hallucination-Jayden managed to land a swing with his spin-sword. Her eyes welled with tears, and she didn't want Jayden seeing her like this. Not that he hasn't seen her cry before- she just wasn't necessarily proud of it, crying over her "mommy issues". 

An almost uncomfortable silence fell over the four, Jayden resting his hand on top of Brooke's in a comforting manner. She didn't respond, only blinking back more tears. She had a feeling she would end up crying, either way Nate answered the question. Still, she braced herself to the best of her abilities. But she still wasn't prepared when Nate broke the silence. 

"...She did, in her own strange way. When you were born, she- she had the biggest smile on her face. When you started to walk and talk, she would always shift when you asked. You would cling onto her, and she'd parade you around the house, looking so proud of herself," Nate answered, keeping his voice even. "It obviously doesn't change what she did. You have every reason to feel angry at or resent her. Truthfully, my feelings towards her aren't the most pleasant, either." He admitted, and Brooke let out a sob. 

"Sorry," Brooke forced out, her voice hoarse and cracking. "I'm sorry." She repeated herself, starting to shake violently. It was like all the fear she was supposed to feel fighting the hallucinations caught up with her, and she didn't like it at all. Squeezing her, now gold, eyes shut, she tried controlling her breathing to prevent a panic attack. That's one of the last things she wanted happening. 

"Don't apologize." Nate and Jayden said in unison, blue eyes meeting grey. Jayden then nodded, signalling that Nate should be the one talking. 

"It's okay, kiddo. Don't apologize at all," Nate murmured, Brooke raising her tear and blood-stained face to look at him. He ran a hand through her hair, breaking into a gentle smile. "You're okay, everything's gonna be okay," He wrapped Brooke into a hug, and she instantly latched onto him. He smelt like a campfire in a sense, and for some reason, it made Brooke cry harder. "The world just isn't kind sometimes, no matter how much we try to make it. But, I love you, with all the stars and the moon. You're not going to be alone, I promise you that. It's going to work out, and I'll be right there if you need me. You're never alone." He murmured, Brooke letting out a sob and burying her face into the black shirt Nate was wearing. One hand was buried in her hair, the other rubbing small circles on her back. 

It seemed to work as a method of comforting her rather quickly, as it wasn't long until Brooke cried herself to sleep. Nate was rocking her side-to-side gently but stopped when he felt his daughter relax in his arms. "Sorry, didn't mean to make things awkward for you," He apologized to Jayden quietly, who shook his head. 

"It's alright, I get it. It seems like things never get any easier." Jayden muttered, Nate letting out a laugh. 

"A seventeen-year-old shouldn't be saying those things, you know. Still, it eventually does get better, I assure you. Maybe not exponentially, but it does," Nate started, glancing down at his sleeping daughter and then Jayden. "It's funny- you've both changed so much, but still glued to the hip. It's easy to tell that she cares about you, and you care about her." He thought aloud, Jayden knitting his brows slightly.

"Really? How?" Jayden wondered, Nate smiling at shaking his head. The older man said nothing, but Jayden still got the message that he knew more than what he was letting on. _Well, fuck._ Still, it saved the embarrassment of actually telling Nate that he had bought Brooke a necklace and was trying to work up the courage to confess. 

"I just can, maybe it's because I'm Brooke's father," Nate answered, letting out a heavy sigh. "Speaking of, she's going to have to live with me for a bit. If the hallucinations keep getting worse, it would distract you all and put you all in harm's way. Plus, it might be helpful for Brooke to just get away from here for a bit. It might be a variable in triggering the hallucinations, given everything." He added, letting go of Brooke and gently setting her on the bed that he was currently sitting on. She didn't stir, only mumbling something incoherent in her sleep and twitching slightly. 

"For how long?" Jayden questioned, shoving back the rush of emotions that came with the idea of Brooke leaving the Shiba House. It was like they were eleven again, and he _hated that._ He'd thought he'd mentally trained himself so that he didn't feel things like that anymore. He knew he was being selfish, as well. It was for the team's safety, but he was still reluctant to the idea. But it wasn't like he really had a say, as Nate was Brooke's father and he had the right to keep his daughter safe. 

The older man crossed a leg over his knee, lost in thought for a moment. "I honestly don't know. It's all dependent on good luck, at this point," He admitted, noticing Jayden's worried expression. "It's not permanent, obviously, since she needs to be here to be a ranger. But, for the sake of the mission, Brooke needs to leave. She, and the rest of your team, will be safer that way," Nate stood up from the bed, glancing at Brooke one last time and then Jayden. "I've run it past Ji, I'm coming back tomorrow to pick her up." He added, Jayden just nodding. 

_He couldn't be selfish. No matter how much he wanted to._ "That's fine, I understand," Jayden agreed, letting out a quiet sigh and standing up from his seat on the bed. He didn't even know why he was feeling possessive, and he didn't _want to be._ He knew he had no right to be. "I'll walk you out." He stated, Nate just nodding with a small smile. 

As the door to the med bay slid shut, Amaris kept her violet eyes trained on Brooke. The beds were too small for both the white wolf and the silver ranger to fit- much to Amaris' annoyance. Instead, she just curled into a ball, resting her snout on her tail. Her ears flicked once before she closed her eyes, falling into a light sleep.

* * *

The next three days passed in a blur for Brooke. She had been staying at Nate's, the wolf and tiger disks being left with Jayden, and she wasn't necessarily against it. She got to do mundane things that she hadn't done in months- like watch T.V. and take a bath. And while she still kept up on her training, she could take breaks if she needed to without feeling weak. Brooke could take things slowly- instead of the fast-paced life she lived when she was at the Shiba House. She enjoyed it, but it was bittersweet. She was a _soldier,_ and while she enjoyed the break, she felt bad for taking a break. The world didn't just _stop_ when she didn't fight, it kept going. 

As long as Xandred was still alive, it wouldn't end. The constant stress and exhaustion were seemingly never-ending. The constant threat that the people Brooke cared about could be taken away from her with one misstep, one wrong swing. Those were the things that worried her the most- it wasn't even _her_ life now. Of course, survival was a human instinct and a _wolf instinct,_ but it wasn't one of Brooke's main concerns. Even with the fact that if she died, everything would end with her. And she didn't have a daughter they could do blood experimentation on to make a soldier. Of course, there was always Maxx, but her little brother putting his life in constant danger because _she had failed_ didn't sit right with Brooke. She wouldn't let the others down, and she would keep them, and herself, alive in the process. 

Making that silent vow to herself, Brooke squinted as the sun beamed her in the eyes. She had been training, as Nate told her to let him handle the hallucinations for now. So, she just focused on her swordsmanship, cycling through moves that she had ingrained in her memory since she had started training to become a power ranger. Which was so long ago at this point, and Brooke couldn't even fathom how she got where she was. Standing in her biological father's backyard while he tried to figure out how to stop her hallucinations of her childhood friends and mother from killing her. It was something she'd never even _imagine-_ and she had seen a lot of strange things due to being a shifter and a ranger. 

"Hey," Nate's voice snapped Brooke out of her thoughts, and she lowered her katanas, shifting her attention to him. He was standing at the doorway that led to the back porch, his hair slightly ruffled, as if he had run his hands through it multiple times. "So, I looked through everything I could, but nothing." He admitted, running a hand over his face and letting out a sigh. 

Brooke frowned, her eyes flashing as her katanas disappeared in a flash of silver. "I've actually been thinking that over, actually. I was wondering about the Tengen Gate, as sealing symbols _have_ worked in the past. They probably have stuff dating back before the Shiba House- and they kinda owe me and Red for letting us get poisoned." She stated, her footsteps silent against the wooden steps as she made her way onto the back porch. 

She had gotten her voice back this morning, but it was still a little hoarse. Brooke had instantly debated calling Jayden just to make sure he wasn't worrying himself to death- which he probably was. But, he was probably training, and she didn't want to interrupt him. So, she decided to wait and spring a call on him before she went to bed. It was almost shameful to admit, but she missed the red ranger far more than she probably should. Brooke realized she was starting to turn _into him_ in a sense, as her worry about him when he wasn't around was increasing with every passing day. And that was something she didn't have when he had first dragged her into the Shiba House for the first time. That was all Jayden. 

"I'm not even going to ask about the poison," Nate muttered, Brooke laughing under her breath as the two walked inside. "But you're probably right- and we should've gone there to begin with." He added, Brooke rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet for a moment. 

"Well, we've been busy. But, can we just stroll in? Or do we have to make a reservation or something?" Brooke doubted that the Tengen Gate was a hotspot for people to go or bustling with activity. But, she really didn't know. It could be used for tourism or something- just an example of Japanese culture. She didn't even know _what_ state the Tengen Gate was in after the whole poisoning incident. She assumed that it was fine, though. The team would've probably been called to help if that wasn't the case. 

"I'll handle that, you can go get dressed. I'm pretty sure that they'll let us visit." Nate answered, digging his phone out of his pocket. As he presumably called the Tengen Gate, which Brooke didn't even know they _had_ phones, Brooke made her way back to her room. 

A little less than three hours later, she was back at the Tengen Gate. Sitting on their knees, both Brooke and Nate listened as Daisuke explained the origin of the hallucinations. It was because symbol power came from both a samurai ranger's physical and mental strength. The hallucinations are hallucinations of the ranger's greatest fears, such as Jane somehow appearing and attacking Brooke. It was one of her fears- which was one she didn't know she had. But, it still made sense, given _everything._

"So, is there any way to stop the hallucinations? Because I won't make much progress if those show up every night." Brooke questioned, her eyes flashing as she looked up at Daisuke. 

The older man nodded, the beads on his necklace lightly hitting each other. "It's called an _inku kigō,_ otherwise known as an ink symbol. It can be viewed as a tattoo with the properties of a protection symbol. Usually, all red and silver rangers get them when they first start showing signs of having symbol power. However, given your circumstances, it would make sense as to why you don't possess one." He explained, Brooke and Nate sharing a collective look of _"that was easy"._

"But what about Jane?" Nate blurted, furrowing his brows as he recalled memories of his ex-wife suffering under the hallucinations. "The hallucinations are what caused everything to happen, right?" He questioned, confusion written on his features. 

"Jane received an ink symbol, but it seemed like it had been forcibly removed by a magic that isn't symbol power," Daisuke answered, Brooke instantly perking up, her eyes flashing. 

She and Nate seemed to have the same thought process, the two Wolfes coming to a quick conclusion. _Serrator._ It was the only logical explanation, and it seemed right up the nighlok's alley. That thought alone caused Brooke's resolve to see him explode and stop his reign of torment to strengthen. God, she wanted nothing more to see him _dead._ She wanted nothing more than to be the one to kill him. Brooke would go against Jayden's orders for that one. Kill the nighlok that ruined her life and deal with the consequences later. But that was all in due time. She had to worry about the hallucinations first.

"So, how do I get the symbol? Is it actually like a tattoo or something?" Brooke wondered, her eyes flashing as she chewed on her bottom lip. Another tattoo wouldn't be a _bad thing-_ she had been meaning to get another one anyway. And it was a win-win if the tattoo was actually useful, not simply for aesthetics. She really should've just gone to the Tengen Gate when the hallucinations started. 

Daisuke shook his head, holding up a somehow translucent piece of parchment. "It's a relatively easy process." He explained, Nate and Brooke sharing a look of uncertainty. 

However, Daisuke hadn't been wrong. In less than five minutes, Brooke had the protection symbol inked on the inside of her forearm in black. She rubbed her thumb against the symbol, her eyes flashing when the ink didn't even smudge. It made her wonder where Jayden had his because it wasn't in an obvious place like his forearm. That was probably something that had to do with the team- or why an eight-year-old had a tattoo. It made sense. 

Nate, who saw his daughter subconsciously rubbing the symbol on her forearm, laughed lightly. "Mary said you have a tattoo, is it really that strange?" He wondered jokingly as the two walked down the path to reach his car, gravel crunching underneath his loafers and Brooke's platforms. 

"No, I was just thinking," Brooke dropped her arm with a sigh, her eyes widening when realization dawned on her. _Nate had talked to Mary._ That meant he probably knew all about what kinds of things (which were morally grey and somewhat illegal) she did before she moved into the Shiba House. That was a terrifying thought. "But you talk to Mary? I didn't think you would, given… everything." She asked, the two reaching Nate's car. 

"We got back in touch after the night when I found you at Sweetbrier," Nate explained, unlocking his car and opening the driver's side door. Brooke mirrored him, sliding into the passenger's seat and shutting the door. "She also told me about how you acted before you became a ranger." He added, putting the key in the ignition. 

As the engine revved to life, Brooke stayed silent. She didn't know how to explain- it's not like she was proud of what she had done. "Guess I'm finally getting the parenting I needed since I was sixteen." She joked, not lifting her head. She kept her grey-gold eyes locked on her platforms, subconsciously counting the scratches and scuff marks that were on the black leather and rubber. 

"Brooke," Nate didn't sound angry, just disappointed and worried. "I- I get it. You were forced to grow up way too fast and… and it makes sense that you would find means of escapism to cope. You are living a life that _nobody else_ would understand," He started, subconsciously tightening his hands on the steering wheel. His grey eyes were unwavering from the road in front of him, them shining with seemingly parental guilt. "Still, you overdid it. The things you did- they would've probably left some everlasting damage if you were human. And not coming home, or coming home drunk or under the influence of _something?_ Panorama's a good city, but there are horrible people everywhere. And God knows what they'd do to you if they found out you're a shifter." It was a talk Brooke had heard before from the bullshit assemblies they had in school- all about safety and stranger danger. Deep in her mind, she knew what she did was wrong and dangerous, incredibly so, but she didn't really acknowledge that. Her own life was of little concern to her. Her self-esteem used to be based on what guy she could get with- and it was pretty easy to do when you're a known dancer. 

"Casper- my friend said the same stuff," Brooke joked bitterly, keeping her gaze locked on her doc martens. Her canines grew in and gave her a slight lisp, and along with her trying to keep her voice steady, she was starting to become incomprehensible. "I don't really have an excuse- it was just…" She trailed, clasping her hands together to stop them from shaking. 

"A form of self-medication?" Nate finished, glancing at Brooke for a moment. She had practically curled up into a ball, drawing her knees to her chest. "I'm not angry- I'm just worried about you. I love you." He murmured, there being a couple of seconds of silence before Brooke spoke again.

"I love you too. If I could go back and _not_ fuck myself up, I would." She muttered, and the rest of the car ride was in silence.

* * *

The next morning, Brooke found herself back in Panorama. Readjusting her grey duffle bag on her shoulder, she walked down the familiar streets, rock music playing softly in her ears through her earbuds. It was a mindless walk- grey eyes focused on the path in front of her. Nothing eventful had happened, which was nice, but her interest was piqued when her samuraizer started beeping. Taking the device out of her pocket, Brooke flipped on open, bringing up the map of Panorama. She also felt Amaris make herself present in the back of her mind, which was good. 

The red dot that signaled a nighlok attack was at a factory- Norway factory, to be precise. Scanning the area, Brooke's eyes flashed when she found a route, instantly breaking off into a sprint. She wanted to at least drop her duffle bag off at the Shiba House, but there was obviously no time for that now. Instead, the bag just slammed uncomfortably into her back with each stride, but she tried to ignore it to the best of her abilities. It would be her first battle in almost a week and the first one in a while without the hallucinations. That thought was freeing, at least.

She apparently reached the factory before the others did- which wasn't really surprising. Throwing her duffle bag to the side, Brooke did a mental checklist. The wolf and tiger disks were with Jayden, so that was out of the question. But, she did have the moon disk, so that could work. Summoning her Wolf Kunai, she slid the moon disk onto the weapon. As it clicked in place, she stepped forward. 

The nighlok hadn't noticed her, instead having its blade pointer at a worker's throat. "Scaring you all is like child's play! You humans are more like chickens!" The monster mocked, Brooke narrowing her eyes. 

It was true that civilians were easy to scare, but she wouldn't mention that out loud. Instead, she spun the moon disk, the silver blade of the kunai lighting up a mix of silver and purple. "Then why don't you pick someone who'll actually fight back? _Crescent Moon Slash!"_ Brooke yelled, firing off the attack and flipping open her samuraizer, activating the brush portion. 

The nighlok, who had started to turn around at the sound of Brooke's voice, got hit with the silver and purple attack head-on. It sent the monster flying, which landed on the concrete not far from the other rangers' feet with a _thump._ The six made noises of confusion for a second, then spotting the familiar flash of silver. As the silver ranger suit materialized on her body, Brooke spun her kunai in her hand, then pointing it at the nighlok. However, she shifted her attention to the team, disappearing and then reappearing at Jayden's side in a flash of silver. 

"Your _little game_ is over, nighlok." The silver ranger spat as the nighlok picked itself off of the ground. 

"I'm not just any nighlok- I'm Duplicator! And I work for Serrator," The nighlok, Duplicator, introduced itself, tracing the engravings on its blade. "I'm the coolest and the best in the biz!" It stated, Brooke gritting her teeth underneath her helmet. 

"Let me handle Mr. Cool here," Mike announced, still running forward without getting an answer. As the green ranger rushed the nighlok, the five others turned their attention to the silver. 

"So, uh, I'm back. I'll explain once we get back but, uh- I'm sorry for having to leave." Brooke apologized, watching as Mike fired back witty retorts to the nighlok's taunting. He landed a strong strike against the monster, which sent it to its knees. 

"There's no need to apologize, it's good to have you back!" Emily stated enthusiastically, the silver ranger smiling faintly at the yellow's energy. 

"Glad to be back- oh, that's new." Brooke cut herself off when Duplicator disappeared, the six running over to cover Mike. 

However, their defensive stances soon fell as the seven samurai rangers scanned the area. Duplicator seemingly _duplicated himself-_ numerous copies of the nighlok appearing. One of the Duplicators started talking, Kevin cutting it off by firing a shot from his Hydro Bow. It hit the nighlok straight on, which sent the monster to its knees. After that it just _dissolved,_ becoming a cloud of black smoke and then disappearing altogether. 

"You think you can catch me, but you can't!" Duplicator taunted, duplicating itself again. As more copies of the nighlok appeared, the main monster let out a cackle. "Let the real fun begin!" It called, Brooke steeling her nerves. 

She didn't want her first battle to be against a small army of the same nighlok, but she knew she had to deal with the situation at hand. Having a silent conversation with Amaris, the silver ranger wordlessly cut down duplications, cycling through moves that had been engraved in her mind at this point. One of the positive notes was that the duplications fell rather easily, disappearing after enduring only one or two slashes. However, Brooke was soon gagging at the smell of nighlok, panting underneath her helmet as she forced herself to breathe out of her mouth. It wasn't ideal- but still much better than the stink-nighlok that the team had fought ages ago, even before Antonio had joined. Looking back on that, Brooke was proud of how much she's grown. Also, she wasn't battling alcohol addiction or _dead,_ so that was a plus. 

Regrouping with Jayden, Brooke bit back a scream of frustration as more Duplicators appeared. "I've just about had enough of this shit." She growled, every word emphasized with a strike that caused multiple duplications to the ground. 

"Glad to have you back. _Fire Smasher!"_ Jayden called, his spin-sword turning into the large weapon in a flash of red. He spun it in a wide circle, which sent all of the duplications surrounding the two flying. Brooke then played cleaning crew, sheathing her kunai and shifting. The brown wolf bounced around, lunging at the duplications and knocking them down quickly. 

It wasn't long until all of the duplications had disappeared, the six rangers and brown wolf regrouping. At a call of "up here!", the seven turned their attention to the _real Duplicator,_ who was standing on a platform that was on the side of one of the security towers. The nighlok fired off purple balls of energy, which were deflected in a flash of silver and violet. Amaris had quickly appeared, a translucent shield appearing in front of the others as the white wolf stood next to the brown wolf. 

Duplicator jumped down from the platform, looking somewhat displeased at the turn of events. "You may not be on the ground, but I'm still the coolest one around!" The monster sang, taking a couple of steps forward and then falling to its knees with a grunt of pain. Duplicator's body started greying and cracking- signaling he was drying out. "You got lucky this time, rangers!" The nighlok threatened, disappearing into a crack in a flash of dark red. 

The seven rangers demorphed, standing in silence and processing the battle that had just happened. It was strange, to say the least, but Brooke was snapped out of her thoughts when a hand clapped her on the back. It sent her stumbling forward, the multiple necklaces she wore hitting together as she regained her balance. Once she did so, she shot a playful glare at Mike, her eyes flashing. "Thanks for that. Appreciate it." Sarcasm was dripping from Brooke's voice, the silver ranger only playfully taunting the green. 

"Anytime, Miss Werewolf. I take it you're not having any of those freaky visions anymore?" Mike speculated, Brooke nodding. 

"I'll explain once we get back home," Brooke waved her hand in dismissal, her eyes flashing as she scanned the area for her duffel bag. Her gaze landed on it but soon snapped to the man that was sitting on a crate not too far from it. _Was he there all battle?_ If so, she was grateful that he seemed to be lost in his own little world. 

Mia seemed to notice the man as well, sympathy instantly working its way to her features. "You guys can go on without us, Brooke, and I will check on that guy over there." She stated, pointing to the man. 

The five other rangers voiced their agreement and started walking back towards the Shiba House, but not before Brooke and Jayden had launched into their own silent conversation. The silver ranger sent the red off with a smile and a small wave, the corners of Jayden's lips twitching upward, even if just for a moment. After they had fully left, Brooke turned her attention back to Mia, nodding towards the man, silently asking if they should walk over there. She nodded, the two black haired girls jogging over to where the man was sitting. Well, Mia did, Brooke taking the time to shoulder her duffle bag. She decided to let Mia do all the talking, as she was the "big sister" of the three girls in the Shiba House, her being the oldest of the three with an almost mother-like aura. Brooke genuinely loved Mia as a friend- but she couldn't defend the pink ranger's cooking. That's one thing that she was grateful for when she went to Nate's, that she didn't have to pretend to like something that was _absolutely vile._

"The monster's gone." Mia started, the man lifting his head at the sound of her voice. He was instantly smitten, Brooke laughing under her breath and silently walking over to Mia, standing beside her. She didn't say anything, just keeping her grey eyes trained on the man as he seemingly short-circuited, unable to form coherent sentences. 

"Uh, you good? We can call someone if you're having a seizure or something-" Brooke was cut off by Mia playfully slapping her arm. The silver ranger then made eye contact with the pink, her eyes flashing as she grinned. "No, but in all seriousness, are you alright? We can listen if you wanna talk." She offered, Mia nodding faintly. 

The man seemed to find his voice, his tone instantly changing. "I'm a loser." He blurted, Brooke's eyes flashing as Mia instantly went into what was now deemed "mom mode". 

"Why do you think that?" Mia asked softly, sitting beside the man. Who, now looking at him fully, seemed to have been in some sort of explosion, as ash was covering his face, black hair spiked straight upwards. 

"Because I've been fired from three jobs today. If I can't keep a normal job- how am I supposed to be a samurai?" The man wondered aloud, Brooke and Mia sharing a wide-eyed look. 

_A samurai. Right._ Brooke couldn't even fathom wanting to be a soldier in a war- and she was one. Still, she tried to hide her general shock to the best of her abilities. "It's… achievable, but a lot of work." She trailed, talking with her hands as a way of trying to get the message across. She felt bad lying to the man, but it was something that usually _wasn't achievable_ unless you were born into a samurai family- the outlier being Antonio. Still, the gold ranger probably put himself through hell and back as he trained. Symbol power wasn't an easy thing to deal with, after all. 

"Well, I've heard that part of being a samurai is that you never give up. No matter how hard things are, you keep going until you make it." Mia added, putting a somewhat positive spin on Brooke's words. "I'm sure the right job is out there for you." She stated, taking one of the man's hands and pulling him to his feet. He seemed to be in awe that she was holding his hand, even for a moment, and Brooke took two awkward steps back as Mia dropped his hand. The two discreetly nodded at each other, the silver and pink rangers starting to jog back in the direction of the Shiba House. 

However, before they could get very far, the man called out of the two rangers. "Wait! What're your guys' names?" He asked, and before Brooke could tell Mia to make up fake names because he _could be a creep_ , Mia answered. 

"I'm Mia, and that's Brooke!" Mia called, pointing to Brooke, who awkwardly raised her hand. 

"Good luck job hunting," Brooke called, shaking her head with a sigh and starting to jog again. "We're gonna break that poor man's heart without really meaning to, you know that, right?" She questioned Mia, who nodded. 

_"Trust me._ I've been there." Mia responded, Brooke nearly stopping in her tracks. 

She never really asked Mia about what her love life was like before joining the team. Though, while Brooke did want to know- she assumed that the pink ranger _has_ dated at least one person, she kept quiet. Brooke's own love life… wasn't really a love life. It was just a collection of three to four one-night stands that happened when she was drunk out of her mind. It was _shameful,_ she will admit, and now she was crushing on _Jayden Shiba._ The boy who had been sheltered all of his life, and has probably never _seen_ anyone drunk. That's why Brooke planned to keep her past to herself. At least for now. 

Scanning the area, Brooke made sure nobody was around before skidding to a stop. "Amaris can get us out of here," She explained, noticing Mia's confused and slightly concerned expression. The pink ranger nodded, walking over and standing next to the silver. Who silently called on Amaris, the two rangers disappearing in a flash of silver.

Immediately they appeared in the meeting room. Which apparently startled the other four rangers, Jayden being M.I.A, as their attention snapped to the spot where the two had appeared rather quickly. They all tensed, reaching for their samuraizers out of habit, but all soon relaxed when they realized it was just Brooke and Mia. The pink and silver rangers were standing at the entrance of the meeting room, four pairs of eyes locked onto them.

"A little warning next time would be nice, it's kinda freaky when you teleport around like that," Mike stated, Brooke putting on an expression of faux hurt and disappointment. 

"I am _offended,"_ Brooke started, disappearing in a flash of silver and reappearing at the other side of the meeting room. She set down her grey duffle bag, plopping into her usual seat in between Jayden and Antonio, Jayden's usual spot currently empty. However, it wasn't empty for long, as Amaris appeared in a flash of silver. The white wolf jumped up onto the cushioned seat, sitting on her haunches and making herself present in the meeting. Well, more like making her presence known, as she would've known what happened in the meeting anyway. It seemed like Amaris just wanted attention, Brooke giving it to her by subconsciously petting the wolf as she spoke again. "So, what's up? Did I miss anything in the time I was gone?" She wondered, Kevin shaking his head. 

"It was strangely quiet. What about you?" The blue ranger asked the silver, who was surprised at the sudden question. "If you're back, I take it you're not having hallucinations anymore?" Kevin questioned, Emily nodding. 

"We're glad to see you okay and have you back, also. It's kinda boring without you, honestly." Emily added, the three others nodding in agreement. 

"Well, I'm flattered. But seriously, it's good to be back. I missed this place, surprisingly enough," Brooke muttered the last sentence, scanning the meeting room. The wooden walls and floors held memories- and while most of them were of war council meetings, they were memories. "To answer your question, yes, I'm hallucination-free now. They happened because I didn't get an ink symbol, and that's how they stopped. It was strangely simple." She added, knitting her brows as she took in the team's confused expressions. "What?"

"Ink symbol?" Mia echoed, tilting her head to the side slightly. She had taken her usual spot on the seat next to Emily, the pink ranger peering skeptically at the silver. "I thought all of the symbols that weren't written with symbol power were made from ink." 

Realization dawned on Brooke's face, her eyes flashing multiple times in rapid succession. "Yeah, okay, your confusion makes sense now. But, to explain in Daisuke's terms, it's pretty much a tattoo with the properties of the protection symbol," She explained, pushing up the sleeve of her dark grey and black checkered flannel she was wearing. The black protection symbol was proudly displayed on her forearm, hiding some of the scars that covered her arms. "Apparently the red and silver rangers are always supposed to get them, but I didn't- given, well, everything. So, I'm sorry for being a distraction to the mission and putting you guys at risk-"

"Wow, Jay's rubbed off on you," Antonio cut Brooke off, deflecting her glare with a flick of his wrist. "But don't worry about it, we're all back and in fighting condition." He reassured her, Brooke nodding slowly as she pushed her sleeve back down.

"Right, thanks, Goldie," Brooke murmured, then quickly going quiet. She didn't want to talk about her feelings for long, though she knew Jayden was probably going to want to play a game of 20 questions. However, she just accepted that. It was hard to change the red ranger's mind about anything- he was surprisingly stubborn for a leader. Not that it hasn't probably saved the team's lives at multiple points, he was just… an immovable force, in a sense. 

"Hey… how's that guy?" Emily asked, changing the topic before an uncomfortable silence fell over the 

"Mia's about to break some poor kid's heart," Brooke announced quickly, a grin growing on her features as she stared at the pink ranger in a silent challenge. 

"It's not like that," Mia argued, shooting a playful glare at Brooke, who snickered. "He said he wanted to be a samurai," She corrected, causing all of the rangers in the room, sans the pink and silver, to share confused glances. "I just told him that a true samurai never gives up." The pink ranger finished, taking her usual seat next to Emily in the meeting room. 

Mia's statement caused an awkward silence to fill the room, the rangers cycling back to the somewhat failed battle. Mike was the first one to break the silence, per usual. "Y'know, after a battle like that, that's a good thing to remember." He referred to Mia's statement, the team nodding. They couldn't give up now. 

* * *

The six had been throwing out different ideas to each other for the past hour and a half- sometimes joking around, but generally taking the discussion seriously. It had gotten to the point where the night was starting to fall, the lamps in the Shiba House being turned on. They cast the meeting room in a yellow glow, creating a somewhat cozy atmosphere despite five young adults and teenagers discussing methods on how to kill a monster. A monster that wanted to kill them and take over the world, mind you. It wasn't really a pleasant topic, but the rangers had gotten somewhat numb at the thought of their lives being threatened. 

"There must be a way to pick the nighlok out from its fakes. There has to be something we missed." Kevin started, stating the general topic of discussion again. They had hit a wall, going back to the drawing board to try to find something they forgot about. 

A figurative lightbulb appeared over Emily's head, the yellow ranger standing from her seat excitedly. "Hey, they're mirror images, right?" She asked, the other rangers letting out a "yeah" in unison. "Maybe the fakes don't cast reflections! Y'know, like vampires?" Her voice was brimming with childlike excitement, and something about it made Brooke happy. 

However, that happiness faded when five pairs of eyes landed on her. Her eyes flashing, Brooke let out a noise of protest. "Don't look at me, I'm in the same boat you are," She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "And before you start with me being a werewolf thing- I'm not a werewolf. We've been over this," Brooke added, a subconscious excitement filling her body when the smell of spice and smoke filled her nose. "Jayden Shiba." She called as soon as she heard his footsteps, and he instantly stopped in his tracks, holding the light zord in his hand. 

Blue eyes instantly snapped to his team, Jayden obviously trying to cover the sudden shock. So, he just shook his head and continued walking. "Forgot about that," Jayden muttered, Brooke snickering. Which made him do a double-take again, blue eyes meeting grey. "Happy to have you back," He greeted, it being a playfully sarcastic retort. Jayden had other things to say, of course, but he knew those would have to wait. So, he just focused on the task at hand, setting the light zord on the coffee table. "Though, I think I have an answer. It's almost dark outside now, and the light zord's powerful beam could possibly shine through the nighlok's tricks." He announced, the team voicing their agreement. 

"Oh, Brooke. I forgot to ask, but, does only the main nighlok…" Mia trailed, obviously struggling to find the right words.

"Have a scent? No. All of them do, and I would prefer if that was not the case," Brooke finished, standing up from her seat and grabbing her duffel bag. Amaris also hopped off of the seat, shaking out her fur. "I assume you can't tell the difference either, Amaris." She added, directing the statement to the white wolf, whose ears flicked. 

_"Sadly, I cannot. Since I am mostly observing unless I am called upon, I cannot see any more than you can."_ Amaris answered, her tail flicking. Violet eyes landed on the light zord, silently inspecting it for a moment before speaking again. _"Though, I have a strong belief that Jayden's plan will be successful."_ She stated, nuzzling into the red ranger's touch as he scratched the top of her head. 

"Can't wait for him to show his face again," Kevin stated excitedly, his voice full of determination. 

"When he does, he's going down," Jayden vowed, and with that, the meeting ended. 

The other rangers then left the meeting room, leaving only the silver and red. Amaris had also disappeared, no doubtedly going to find a place to sleep. Still, that left Brooke and Jayden, both of them trying to find the words to say. "So, uh, I'm gonna unpack, and you can come sit with me if you want. Just say the word." Brooke offered, readjusting her duffel bag on her shoulder. She didn't know why this was suddenly so _awkward-_ she was usually more composed. Though, she realized this was the first calm moment they've had since she almost kissed Jayden, thus getting unintentionally cockblocked by Nate. Failed attempts at kissing someone usually makes things awkward. 

"Sounds like fun." Jayden agreed, Brooke laughing under her breath. 

"Oh, it's _exhilarating,_ lemme tell you. Gonna keep you on the edge of your seat the entire time." Brooke snickered, silently leaving the meeting room with Jayden beside her. He didn't add to the joke, as he just enjoyed the fact that Brooke made herself laugh. He found it cute. 

About half an hour later, Brooke had gotten unpacked and was now sitting across from Jayden on her bed, one leg tucked underneath of her and the other hanging off her bed. Amaris was acting as the barrier between the two- as the white wolf was curled into a ball and fast asleep, and neither Brooke nor Jayden had the heart to wake her up. So, they had just been sharing small talk, chatting quietly about mindless topics. It was almost comforting, and Jayden liked hearing Brooke talk. She was the one who talked the most out of the two of them, the silver ranger currently discussing things about her high school experience that she felt like sharing. They hadn't talked about the fact that they missed each other, it was actually a discussion they were avoiding. Neither of them really knew _why,_ perhaps to avoid potential awkwardness, but Jayden soon steeled his nerves and stopped beating around the bush. 

"I missed you," Jayden blurted, his cheeks dusting pink as he broke into a somewhat sheepish smile. "It's funny… because I lasted seven years without you, but now- it's like I'm making up for the lost time." He mumbled, blue eyes shifting to the silver strands in Amaris' fur. 

"I missed you too. It's boring being on my own now, y'know? I've gotten used to having you around- I welcome it, even," Brooke stated, and Jayden _really wished_ she couldn't say things like that with a straight face. "Are you upset that I can say stuff like that without getting embarrassed?" She teased, noticing the slight crease above his eyebrow and the way his eyes sparkled with faint frustration. 

"Don't start," Jayden warned, raising his head and making eye contact with Brooke. Taking in her cheeky grin and her signature mischievous expression, he let out a faint sigh. "Brooke, I'm serious." He stated, but they both knew he wasn't really serious. So, Brooke didn't listen to him at all. 

"What're you gonna do, Red? _Ground me?"_ Brooke taunted, Jayden lightly hitting her hand away before it could ruffle his hair. He glared at her in a faux warning, which caused her to let out a bark of laughter. _"Ooh, you want to ground me so bad._ Give me cleaning duty for the rest of this damn war 'cause I can make you embarrassed. Bet." She snickered but was soon caught off guard by Jayden tackling her to the bed, the red ranger smiling faintly at her shocked expression. However, it didn't last for long, as a grin worked its way onto Brooke's features. She opened her mouth to speak, only to be stopped by Jayden placing a finger on her lips. 

"You really need to learn how to be quiet," Jayden stated, and he then realized what position they were in. It could be taken as something inherently sexual- but at this point, he didn't really care. He somewhat enjoyed having power over the girl who usually made him flustered. He also knew that Brooke could easily overpower him by using the strength that came with her wolf form, but from the look in her eyes, she didn't seem to mind the fact that she was trapped underneath him. 

Grey eyes were half-lidded, a lazy smirk working its way onto Brooke's face when Jayden removed his finger from her lips. "Teach me, then. _Demonstrate to me_ how you can shut me up. Because," A clawed hand grabbed the collar of his shirt, pulling Jayden down so he and Brooke's face were only centimeters apart. Her other hand was pinned above her head, Jayden's legs on either side of her body so that she couldn't move. Not that she cared, she could play power bottom, and she wasn't even drunk. "I think I can make you _incredibly_ vocal with a few choice motions. So, if you want to play, by all means." She purred, watching as Jayden's eyes widened with her underlying threat. 

"You- you win," Jayden mumbled after a few seconds of awkward silence. "Just stop looking at me like that," He let go of Brooke's wrist, moving so that he was lying beside her rather than hovering above her. "You make it hard for me to think straight sometimes. It isn't- I don't know how to deal with you." He added, halfway burying his, now burning, face into one of Brooke's pillows. 

"I know, it's… it's genuine. If we weren't in this war, it would be a totally different situation," Brooke thought aloud, grey eyes glued to the ceiling. "But you win some, you lose some, I suppose. You're not actually uncomfortable, though, right? Because if you are- please tell me. I don't want to make you uncomfortable, you know that." She promised, turning her attention back to Jayden, who shook his head quickly, lifting it from the pillow. 

"I'm not uncomfortable- I just don't know what to do. And I just walked into that, so don't worry. You're fine, I like being able to be with you like this. It makes me happy, even if you're absolutely insufferable sometimes." Jayden teased, Brooke breaking into a genuine smile. 

Sitting back up, she stretched her arms over her head, letting out a yawn. "It's part of the package. Gotta keep you on your toes somehow," Brooke yawned, ruffling her hair and scanning her floor for her platforms. She had taken them off when she went to sit on her bed- and because they had been starting to hurt her feet. "And while this is fun, we still have a nighlok to fight." She reminded Jayden, standing up from her bed. Grabbing her platforms, she traded them out for her military boots, quickly pulling them on and lacing them up while Jayden pushed himself out of bed with a yawn. 

"Right." Jayden agreed, pulling on his own shoes, which were a pair of brown leather boots. They had obviously seen better days, as they were scuffed in multiple places and looked well worn, but they were his usual go-to shoes for fighting in, besides his training sneakers. The boots the ranger suits offered were well-made as well, as that was a given since it was technically part of the rangers' "soldier uniforms". 

The two walked out of Brooke's room just as her samuraizer started beeping, the gap sensor being triggered not shortly after. The loud sound made Brooke jump in surprise- as she had forgotten just how loud the gap sensor truly was. Still, she shook off her general shock, running beside Jayden as the seven rangers crashed through the wooden doors of the Shiba House. 

* * *

The team reached Norway Factory quickly, as Duplicator decided to show up again in the same location. Speaking of, the nighlok was muttering to himself, the rangers nodding in unison and getting into position. The light zord was also doing its job and illuminating the area, causing a backlight on all of the rangers as they introduced themselves. On Jayden's call, they surrounded Duplicator, who let out a quiet growl of annoyance. "Lousy rangers, I'm getting bored of fooling you! It's just too easy!" The nighlok taunted, trying to sound tough even though it was surrounded by seven people who wanted to see it dead. 

"You're the one being fooled, _nighlok."_ Mike fired back, "nighlok" sounding like a curse leaving his lips. 

With that, the battle began the same way as the last one did. Duplicator duplicated himself and the team now had to come up with a plan on the fly as the light zord wasn't fully charged yet, go figure. So, it was back to good ol' reliable- the rangers just cutting down everything that they had to. It wasn't long until the duplications were cut down, the light zord slowly powering up. The original Duplicator then fired off purple balls of energy from the sky, which were easily deflected by Brooke drawing the protection symbol. 

Duplicator still didn't seem too fazed by the fact that its attacks kept getting blocked. In fact, the nighlok was cockier than ever, summoning more duplications of itself. "My mirror men and I are invincible!" The monster stated proudly, the small army of duplications marching towards the seven rangers.

"Okay, I think we're ready!" Antonio called out, the light zord making happy chirps of approval. "Let there be light!" The gold ranger thrust the light zord upwards, a powerful beam emitting from the zord and illuminating the entire area. It temporarily blinded Duplicator, and the rest of the rangers, who put up their arms as a way to shield their eyes from the harsh light. However, as harsh as it was, the beam of light did its job. Duplicator's duplications started dissolving due to the light, the duplications becoming plumes of black smoke and then disappearing completely. Which left the nighlok standing alone, yelling out in frustration when the monster realized his duplications were gone. 

"That was excellent!" Kevin praised, and Antonio was already readying his Barracuda Blade, the gold ranger making the move to run forward. 

"Now that you're alone- let's see what you've got!" Antonio taunted, sprinting towards the nighlok and fighting Duplicator one-to-one. Without its duplications, Duplicator was a relatively easy target, the sword the nighlok carried being cut in half quickly. That caused Duplicator to scramble backwards, Antonio pressing a button on the light zord before the nighlok could react. _"Flashing Strike!"_ He yelled, the attack colliding with the monster and sending it to the ground, smoke rising from its body. 

"Antonio, do the honors!" Jayden called, the black box and super samurai disk materializing in his hand with a flash of red. In one swift motion, he threw the talisman and disk to his childhood friend, who caught it with ease. 

Antonio wordlessly opened the black box, placing the disk inside of the talisman before shutting it again. The gold ranger then thrusted the black box outward, pushing the small button that was located on the top of it. _"Super Samurai Mode!"_ He yelled, the Shiba crest appearing and turning into the forked white and gold cape. Attaching the black box onto his Barracuda Blade, Antonio then slid a disk and attached the black box onto his Barracuda Blade, pride seeping into his voice as he spoke. "Didn't you hear, nighlok? Gold is the new black! _Super Barracuda Bite!"_ Slashing with his Barracuda Blade, multiple gold attacks were sent hurtling towards the nighlok.

Duplicator went up in a small explosion when the gold attacks made contact, the six other rangers jogging up and praising the gold. Their celebrations didn't last long, however, as Duplicator then grew into his megamode form, the team falling into a routine that they had done countless times before. The wolf and claw armor megazord and the samurai megazord were formed, along with the light zord growing in size and forming its own megazord. The light zord then ran forward and attacked Duplicator- sending the nighlok backwards as the claw and wolf armor megazord fired off the Wolf Claymore's _Finishing Strike._ It was going quite well until Duplicator did what he did best _besides_ being a pain in the ass- making duplications of itself. 

"Antonio, make the light zord-" Jayden spoke quickly from the comms, Antonio quickly cutting his childhood friend off. 

"Don't worry, I have a move that will make these duplications leave for good. Watch this!" Antonio started, pointing forward excitedly from where he stood in the cockpit of the wolf and claw armor megazord. The shoulder pads and most of the chest of his megamode suit had changed into white- signaling that he had gone into super samurai mode. _"Battledisk Scattershot!"_ The gold ranger called, the light zord following the command and firing out multiple blank disks. 

As the disks collided with the nighlok, the silver ranger turned her attention to the gold. "So, are you getting the power trip that comes with super samurai mode?" Brooke asked, resting her elbows on her control panel and intertwining her hands. "The way you're acting says you are." She added, resting her chin on her intertwined hands and turning her attention back to the battle. She also made sure that her voice was quiet enough so that the comms couldn't pick it up- which was a habit that the sparkly rangers in arms subconsciously settled into. 

"Can see why Jay has his red ranger complex," Antonio answered, Brooke snickering and grinning underneath her helmet. Despite their conversation, the two rangers were still paying attention to the battle at hand, as the light zord had nearly taken out all of the duplications. "I also made sure to make fun of him while you were gone." He stated, and Brooke could hear the mischief in his voice. 

"Thanks. Someone's gotta keep him humble," Brooke thanked, standing up fully and placing her hands back onto her folded megablade. The light zord had just finished taking down the last duplication- meaning that it was now her and Antonio's turn. "Let's end this, Goldie! _Wolf Claymore: Finishing Swing!"_ The silver and gold ranger called out the attack name and fired off the attack in unison, the attack making contact with Duplicator, who exploded on impact. 

The cockpit of both megazords went up in cheers, Jayden smiling faintly underneath his helmet as he called the finishing line. _"Samurai Rangers: Victory is Ours."_ He called, and with that, the battle was finally over.

The seven rangers demorphed as soon as they hit the ground, their ranger suits disappearing in flashes of their respective kanji in their respective colors. A happy atmosphere surrounded the team as they started walking back to the Shiba House, the conversation light as Antonio got congratulated and praised for basically carrying the entire battle. While that was happening, Brooke noticed Emily waving her over, the silver ranger quickly making her way over to the gold. 

"Hey, sunshine, what's up?" Brooke greeted, her eyes flashing as she noticed Emily looking somewhat bashful. Which was surprising, because she was just expecting the younger girl to tease her about Jayden. 

"Um, if you're going out to train tonight, can I join you? I know that you and Jayden usually train together but I kinda want the extra practice," Emily asked quickly, the blonde launching into nervous rambling before Brooke could respond. "Plus, I like the way you fight and I was wondering if you could teach me- only if you wanted to, of course! I know you're busy, so, um, yeah." She rambled on, Brooke breaking into an almost mother-like smile and placing a hand on Emily's shoulder, which caused her to stop talking. 

"Of course, Em. You didn't need to give me a five-page essay on why you want to, either," Brooke teased, her tone then softening. She realized she was using the same tone that she used to use for Maxx, and then came to the realization that Emily filled the void of not seeing her little brother. "Just let me know when you want to, okay? I'll be there." She promised, Emily nodding happily. 

"Thank you!" The younger girl beamed, then running off to catch up with the other rangers, sans the red and gold. 

Both Jayden and Antonio were standing a couple feet away, Brooke's eyes flashing when they landed on her two childhood friends. "There you two are," She greeted, the three then falling into their usual line with Jayden and Antonio flanking Brooke's sides. "She likes the way I fight. First time I heard that one." She let out a quiet laugh, shaking her head slowly. 

"Don't overdo it- even for Emily." Jayden reminded Brooke, who nodded once in affirmation. Meanwhile, Antonio had come up with a new way to tease him, the gold ranger grinning at the red. 

"Surprised you aren't jealous because your usual training partner is booked," Antonio teased, deflecting Jayden's deadpan stare of disappointment with a grin. "Silence is just proving my point- hey!" He cut himself off when Jayden reached over and lightly swatted the back of his head, the red ranger raising his eyebrows at the gold in silent challenge. 

Brooke just let the two have their fun, a bittersweet feeling washing over her. She had a feeling that this is how they acted when they were kids- before they had to deal with their lives being threatened with every new day. She selfishly wanted those days back but pushed those feelings aside. "I'm not leaving you guys again." She quietly vowed, neither Jayden nor Antonio hearing her. Brooke planned to keep it that way- as she felt like if she spoke it too loud, it wouldn't come true. And that's the last thing she wanted happening. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a/n: long time no see, guys! Sorry for not uploading in probably about four months, school has been kicking my ass, and I have missing assignments due but I'm writing this instead. So, take this longer-than-usual chapter as an apology, and I'll try to be more consistent in uploading. Honestly, I was just tired of writing for a bit, and this Google doc and computer that I'm writing on had been literally collecting dust. Hopefully, it's all uphill from here, though! 
> 
> So, I've returned, and I want to thank y'all for the support despite the fact I pretty much went off the grid for a while. Have a happy holiday season (or what's left of it) and stay healthy and safe. Things have been getting more difficult for all of us, but just keep pushing forward. Thanks for reading!


	31. old habits die hard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It seemed like good mornings were followed by bad days, and Brooke finds herself indulging in old habits after a run-in and chat with Deker. And the old habits are ones she'll regret in the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains minor nsfw, only the last two paragraphs of the chapter, but I wanted to tell y'all, so feel free to skip it if you want! On a completely unrelated note, I have a playlist for Weight of the World on Spotify, the link being: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2ooOq52vRvkKGMpAcXz76w?si=fNiPg2xaTte4YuNt6f34kw

Training with Emily was… different for Brooke. Not in a bad way at all, as the yellow ranger was always a good person to have around, but just _different._ While Jayden was usually teaching her, which involved getting hit by a training sword repeatedly and flirting with him until he seemingly short-circuited, Brooke was now teaching Emily. It made her realize that Jayden really did have the patience of a saint because she was starting to get tired. But still, she tried not to show it, because Emily was already apologizing enough for things she didn't even _have to apologize for._ Brooke also didn't want to be mean to her, as the yellow ranger was figuratively the baby of the group. Not that it was a bad thing, but Emily's life was vastly different from hers, in many ways.

It almost made Brooke jealous- she wished she had that childhood innocence and naïveity. Though, she knew Emily had her own hardships to deal with, that her life wasn't perfect by any means. It was just that she had such a _positive outlook,_ when she wasn't constantly apologizing and doubting her abilities, that is. Training with Emily was a slow process, but Brooke tried to be patient, even though she knew she should've been in bed over an hour ago. She should've been in Jayden's arms over an hour ago, and she, somewhat shamefully, missed the familiar warmth that he radiated. However, Brooke shook those thoughts out of her head, knocking Emily's training sword out of her hand with a simple flick of her wrist.

The training sword clattered onto the wooden floor is the outdoor dojo, the younger blonde staring at the wooden sword in confusion. Her eyes flickered from the training sword to Brooke, whose eyes flashed as she quirked a brow. "Everythin' alright? You look like I just grew a second head." She asked, lazily spinning her own training sword in her hand.

"Yeah, you just caught me off guard. I'm sorry-" Emily started, but was quickly cut off by Brooke holding up a finger.

_"Stop apologizing._ You don't need to be sorry for making mistakes. Shit happens," Brooke scolded, shaking her head slightly. "Honestly, I'm not cut out for this teaching thing anyways, it's just different for me. I've made accommodations to my fighting style because I'm a shifter, and it would take some serious time and energy to pick apart what I do to fight and why I do it. _It's_ _not you at all, it's me."_ She reassured Emily because that was partially true. Since the yellow ranger was fully human, it would be incredibly difficult for her to have the type of move set that the silver did. It just physically wasn't possible, in multiple aspects. Not unless Emily woke up one day and just _was a shifter._ Which, there would be more problems than just Brooke's fighting style.

Emily just nodded firmly, picking up her training sword from where it was laying on the ground. "Can we go again?" She requested, already settling into a fighting stance before Brooke could even think of a response.

"Sure, sunshine. Just come at me like you usually do, okay? Don't overthink it," Brooke advised, settling into her fighting stance. Her ankle was starting to throb, mostly from the repeated abuse of being awake and on her feet for most of the day. So, she just shifted her weight to her good ankle, but she knew it was messing up her stance _._ If it were _Jayden_ who was teaching her, she knew she'd already would be on the ground at this point. But, Brooke didn't voice that aloud, or her genuine pain or exhaustion. She was overdoing it- but it was for Emily. She wanted to see the yellow ranger be proud of herself. "Alright, come at me." Grey eyes flashed, the silver and yellow rangers launching into their umpteenth sparring match of the night.

It was somewhat difficult to figure out Emily's fighting style, but Brooke managed. The younger girl's swings were similar to her element in a way, strong and grounded, focused on defense rather than offense. And Brooke found it difficult to be offensive when a sharp pain flared from her ankle at every movement. She had to grit her teeth to prevent herself from crying out in pain, especially when Emily landed a blow against her weak ankle. Brooke heard a worrying _crack_ and felt herself topple, but she just accepted her fate and let herself fall. _She really should've gone in sooner._ Hitting the ground with a thud, she tried to act enthusiastic when Emily's face lit up with pride. Though, Brooke found it easier to mask her emotions with the rangers other than her two childhood friends. She had always felt a need to be honest with them- but right now she just focused on the younger girl standing over her.

"See, ya did it," Brooke pointed out, quickly sitting up and drawing her injured ankle closer to her body. She instantly noticed that it was slightly bent in a direction that was _not normal,_ but she hid it by crossing her legs. "Now, may I ask, what's this about?" She questioned, Emily instantly freezing.

"What do you mean?" Emily feigned ignorance, but Brooke silently called bullshit almost instantly- grey eyes flashing as she raised her brows and pursed her lips slightly. The yellow ranger just stared at the silver at the moment, almost sweating under her unwavering stare, before letting out a sigh and a weak laugh. "I… want to be tougher. I feel like I'm not holding my weight, that I'm weaker than you and the others. And you're tough, and I want to be like you." She admitted, Brooke biting back a comment that she knew she shouldn't say.

Honestly, Brooke wanted to laugh. The way that Emily was looking up to her, and comparing herself to her, was almost _sickening._ She didn't know what to say that would come out as nice, her eyes flashing multiple times and settling on a grey-gold as she thought up a response. No wonder Jayden practically despised being put on a pedestal. "...I'm not the right person to look up to, Em. I appreciate it, but," Sucking in a sharp breath, Brooke tried to focus on coming up with a proper response rather than the pain in her ankle. "I'm going to sound like a real cocky bitch here, but, you physically can't be on my level. _I'm_ _not human, and you are._ My brain and body are wired completely different from yours, and everyone else's on the team. Don't compare yourself to me- I- it's just not possible, y'know?" A nervous laugh escaped Brooke's lips as the pain in her ankle increased, her squeezing her eyes shut for a moment and curling her clawed hands into fists. "I'm not as tough as you think, either. I'm just a damn good actor because that's what I had to do to survive. Ask Red, he's seen me at my worst so many times. My confidence is _almost fake._ I'm really not who you think I am." Her claws dug into her skin, drawing blood, but luckily it was dark enough for Emily not to notice.

Who was mostly silent, her voice wavering as she spoke again. "If yours is fake- then what is mine?" Emily muttered, Brooke biting back a scream.

_She couldn't deal with this right now._ "Emily. It's late, you're overthinking things, really. You're _alive._ That's the most important thing and don't- just… get some rest. I'll pick up here, okay? We can talk about it tomorrow," Brooke felt like an asshole, but it was the only thing she could say without hurting Emily's feelings even more. She hadn't even been mentally prepared for training- let alone a therapy session with an ankle that was most likely snapped out of place. _"Please._ Get some rest, and sleep well. You're doing just fine." She tried to shoot the blonde a small smile, but Emily just returned it with a small nod.

"Goodnight, Brooke," Emily mumbled, setting her training sword back on the rack and making her way back into the Shiba House.

When she was gone, Brooke instantly uncrossed her legs, forcing herself to stand up. She didn't stay up for long, however, as her ankle gave out for the second time and she found herself back on the ground. Letting out a whimper, Brooke squeezed her eyes shut, trying to force herself not to _think_ about the pain. She didn't even know why it hurt so bad compared to the other times- and she was worried that it had been broken for a second time. She was _fucked_ then because she couldn't fight with a broken ankle. Even though she needed to fight. _It was her job._ Forcing herself to sit back up, Brooke knew she was too tired to shift fully- and in too much pain. So, she just tried to bear it, pushing herself back onto her feet.

Luckily, it seemed like Jayden always had a sixth sense for these kinds of things. Or it was Amaris- as the white wolf usually called upon the red ranger when he could provide more help than she could. Now was one of those times, the door leading to the outdoor dojo opening and shutting quickly. Spying Brooke, Jayden quickly made his way over to her, catching her before she could fall and hit the ground again.

The warmth he radiated made Brooke want to cry. Latching onto Jayden for support, she made sure not to put any pressure on her bad ankle as she buried her face into the crook of his neck. It was clear that he had just gotten out of the shower and gotten dressed, as his hair was still mostly damp, and he smelt like fucking _Old Spice shampoo._ And Brooke knew it was the _"Pure Sport"_ one, as the lemon-lime scent reminded her of one of the guys that she had slept with- the quarterback of Greensbrook High's football team. And she did _not want_ to remember him, as all she really remembered that he was a bad kisser and she woke up unsatisfied. So, _yeah._ Sport themed shampoos and colognes weren't really her thing- but Brooke knew she really couldn't say anything without having to somewhat explain herself.

"Missin' the cologne, Red. Though, I didn't know you were Old Spice's poster boy," Brooke murmured, her voice muffled by the crook of Jayden's neck. She heard him laugh faintly, his hand being buried into her hair. It was all so _warm,_ and for a moment, the pain was gone. "I overdid it." She announced, a clawed hand grabbing a fistful of the back of his shirt to hold onto. It was an anchor so that she hopefully didn't find herself back on the ground.

"You did," Jayden agreed, pulling away from Brooke, much to her displeasure. He let out a quiet sigh, shaking his head faintly. "You shouldn't keep doing this," He muttered, glancing down at Brooke's ankle and wincing slightly. "And you're lucky I know how to set a bone back in place." He added, Brooke just letting him go into his usual lecture as he picked her up. She was zoning out, per usual, just somewhat enjoying the feeling of being carried in his arms.

"You're so warm," Brooke mumbled, hearing Jayden's heartbeat increase slightly at the indirect compliment. "I'd just be better if you didn't smell like a damn _football player._ " She complained, said ranger knitting his brows at the statement, before becoming defensive.

He opened the door to Brooke's room, shutting it behind him and flicking on the light as he spoke again. "I ran out of my usual one, so sorry if this one doesn't meet your standards," Jayden huffed in faux annoyance as he lightly tossed Brooke on the bed, who let out a bark of laughter. "I'm honestly worried, you seem more attached to it and my cologne more than I am. Do you just want them?" He teased, noticing how Brooke seemed to bristle at his words- like a wolf whose territory was threatened, her subconsciously letting out a quiet growl.

_"Oh, fuck you._ You should've just left me outside to pass out because of the pain," Brooke retorted quickly, lightly kicking Jayden with her good ankle and foot. Who raised his eyebrows, a ghost of a smirk on his lips. "It's not just the cologne… it's _you_. Don't make me explain myself to you, I've already said it enough times for you to get the picture. Or do you just want me to launch into an analysis on whatever cologne you wear makes me feel? Because I _really don't_ feel like doing that now. Or ever, in fact." She stated, but the playful mood quickly fell when she felt his thumb run over her bottom lip. Two things instantly ran through her head: the first being " _where the hell did he learn this?",_ and the second being _"oh shit I want to kiss him"._

It took all of her self control not to. Instead of, say, grabbing the collar of Jayden's shirt, Brooke grabbed her comforter, her claws digging into the fabric. All the while, she kept her grey-gold eyes locked on him, noticing the way that his pupils dilated. She needed to stop flirting with him this late at night- all it did was make them both frustrated, the sexual tension between the two rangers being so thick it could be cut with a spin-sword. It was a _problem,_ and they both knew it. It was a battle of impulse control, the two staring at each other longer than necessary. Both of them wanted the other to make the first move- to convey it was okay to cross _that_ line. It was a line they were walking a tightrope on, a line that held unspoken codes and rules. It was a line that they both were too scared to cross, rules that they were too scared to break.

So, Brooke did what she did best. That was messing with Jayden Shiba's emotions a little _too much,_ as she opened her mouth slightly and, in one swift motion, she nipped Jayden's thumb. It snapped him out of his internal conflict rather quickly, as he made a noise of pain, quickly pulling his hand away. "Brooke." He scolded, inspecting his thumb and then shooting his childhood friend a deadpan expression.

She looked rather proud of herself, her traditional grin working itself onto her face. "Sorry, sorry." Brooke snickered, breaking actual laughter when Jayden squinted at her, shaking his head.

He was thankful because the action completely ruined the mood and destroyed the tension between the both of them. _If we weren't in this damn war,_ Jayden thought, letting out a quiet sigh. "Give me your foot, I'll set your ankle back in place." He practically demanded, grabbing Brooke's injured ankle before she could spring another one of her comedy routines on him.

Pain instantly flared from her ankle, Brooke gritting her teeth. "Red, that fucking hurts," She hissed through clenched teeth, Jayden shooting her a sympathetic expression. "Please don't give me that look, it hurts." She squeezed her eyes shut, feeling as he untied her shoe, every touch causing pain to flare.

"It's okay, I'm right here. On three, okay? One, two..." There was an intense pressure placed on her ankle followed by a _crack,_ a sense of relief surfacing for a minute. "Three." Jayden finished, letting go of Brooke's ankle. She let out a whimper, willing herself not to cry.

"I'm sorry- I don't know why it hurts so much. I'm usually tougher than this," Brooke muttered bitterly, Emily's words replaying in her head. If only the yellow ranger could see her now, crying over an injury that's happened countless times before now. "Can you hold me? I- I just wanna be held." She added in a small voice, cracking open an eye.

"Yeah, I'm right here." Jayden agreed, kicking off his converse. Other than his shoes, he was already dressed for bed, his pajamas consisting of black sweatpants and, surprise surprise, a red t-shirt. His hair was damp- and it was drying in a way that made it look much fluffier than it usually did. Brooke found a small sense of enjoyment out of it, reaching up and burying a hand in his hair without a second thought.

It was surprisingly soft, and Jayden didn't seem to object to having Brooke play with his hair. In fact, he welcomed it, because it meant he could hold her closer. The two sat in comfortable silence for god knows how long, sleep starting to overtake them both. Amaris had made herself present as well, the white wolf curled up into a ball and asleep, her ears flicking now and then. Brooke was still focused on Jayden, using her fingers as a way to comb his light brown hair. He seemed rather content with the whole situation, as he was resting the back of his head against the headboard with his eyes closed. It was then when Brooke noticed the dark circles under his eyes- almost identical to her own. Which was worrying, because she knew that he didn't come out to check on her every night she worked on the despair symbol. From what she had gathered, he seemed to go to bed pretty early compared to her, though the bar was on the floor for "going to bed early". Still, it meant that he shouldn't look like he has only slept two or three hours each night. It made Brooke concerned, and her hands dropped from his hair.

Jayden cracked open a blue eye at that, subconsciously tightening his hold on her. "Why'd you stop?" His sentence was interrupted with a yawn, and he closed his eyes again before he got a response. "It felt good." He murmured, Brooke breaking into a small smile, which soon turned into a look of slight worry and concern.

"I need to take a shower," Brooke answered, but Jayden didn't lessen his hold on her. Not that she objected, but she still wanted to be clean, and get pain meds for her ankle. The pain had lessened, as once what felt like her ankle was getting stabbed was now a dull throb, but if she had the option to not feel any pain, she'd take it in a heartbeat. "Plus, you look likeyou haven't been sleeping enough." She added, Jayden letting out a sigh in response.

It wasn't directed at her, but rather the fact that she was _right._ He didn't want to admit it to her- but he had gotten so used to Brooke sharing a bed with him that it felt strange to not have her curled up at his side. It was a mixture of that and the nightmares, which have gotten significantly worse as the days went on. Plus, he had started building a tolerance to melatonin, which was extremely worrying. It was melatonin and ibuprofen that had gotten him through the war this far, and if he lost that, he'd just accept defeat, sleepless nights, and tension headaches. Not that any of that sounded ideal, but he didn't feel like accidentally overdosing on sleeping pills. Jayden knew he _had_ to be a part of this war, or at least until Lauren stepped in. Which he didn't know _when the fuck_ that was, and that was one of the causes of his stress. He didn't know how to even prepare himself for the situation when Lauren showed up, because he doubted "yeah, this is my sister and I've lied to you all since we've met. She's the red ranger now,", and then just leaving the Shiba House would cut it. Still, Jayden shook those thoughts out of his head for the moment. Right now, everything was fine.

Luckily, Brooke took his sigh as an answer and didn't press. Instead, she unwrapped Jayden's arms from around her body, him making a quiet noise of protest. She just laughed faintly, scooting to the edge of her bed and placing her feet on the floor. Gingerly putting pressure on her bad ankle, Brooke stood, warily taking a couple of steps. It hurt, but her ankle didn't give out, and she didn't find herself on the floor. Which was better than nothing, and she turned to face Jayden. Who looked more out of it than anything, the red ranger's eyes half-lidded as he lazily pet Amaris. He soon felt Brooke staring at him, blue eyes meeting grey. She had that look on her face again- like he was the best thing she's ever seen. He didn't know _why,_ but something about it made his heart hurt, in both a good and a bad way.

"You're usually never this quiet." Jayden pointed out, Brooke's eyes flashing as she shot him a deadpan expression. Exhaustion was starting to creep into his tone, and he covered his mouth with his hand to stifle a yawn.

"You're exhausted, don't let me keep you up," Brooke stated, walking back over to her bed and kneeling so that she was at Jayden's height. She cradled his face in her hand, caressing his cheek with her thumb as she wore a gentle smile. "I'm going to take a shower, and I'll be right back. Get some rest, Jayden. You look like you need it," She murmured, Jayden nodding slowly as he processed what she said. When he did so, she leaned forward, sweeping his bangs to the side and pressing a light kiss to his forehead. "Goodnight."

_God, I love you,_ Jayden thought, feeling as his cheeks warmed. "Goodnight, Brooke." He murmured, taking her advice and getting into bed fully as she walked into her bathroom, shooting him one last small smile before shutting the door behind her.

After she got out of the shower, Brooke was surprised to learn that Jayden talked in his sleep. It was mostly incomprehensible, but she swore she heard a _"go go samurai"_ when she stepped out of her bathroom. Her room was dark, sans the glow coming from Amaris. Mixed with her wolf senses, she could make out Jayden's figure in the dark. Making sure not to hit him or Amaris, Brooke quietly got into bed and was pleasantly surprised when she felt Jayden's arms wrap her waist, him pulling her closer. He didn't say anything about the matter, only quickly falling asleep again. It wasn't long until Brooke found herself falling asleep as well, just as her clock struck 11pm.

And it was 4:30am when Brooke woke up to blankets rustling. She felt Jayden nudge her off of his chest, him then sitting upright, causing her to blink the sleep out of her eyes, peering up at him. He looked rather guilty about the turn of events, and in her sleep-filled haze, Brooke could only think of one general statement. “What the fuck, Red.” Her voice was filled with disappointment and slight annoyance- but also a hint of worry. Said ranger didn’t say anything in response, blue eyes trained on her half-awake figure, the two then falling into an unspoken staring contest.

It was a contest Jayden knew he wouldn’t win. Letting out a small sigh, he reached over and placed a hand on the top of Brooke’s head, her nuzzling into his touch without a second thought. It made his heart throb- as he just wanted to stay in the safety and comfort of the blankets and having the girl he loved in his arms. He didn’t want to speak, to ruin the moment of having Brooke half-asleep beside him, her black hair splayed across the pillow, grey eyes half-lidded as she looked up at him. It was times like these where Jayden knew he was completely _whipped,_ and he was inwardly laughing at himself- a younger version of himself who thought he could go through this war without knowing any of his teammates personally, as it was easier that way. He told himself not to get attached, as he knew he’d eventually leave or meet a fate where a nighlok kills him, or _them._ He wasn’t supposed to get attached, as it would’ve made the war so much harder to deal with. Yet here he was, sharing a bed with the daughter of the woman who damned them into this war, the girl that had her humanity taken from her due to _his family._ From what he had learned- the Wolfe clan and Shiba clan had always despised each other. Perhaps that’s what the others, people such as Ji and Daisuke, thought that was what would happen.

It couldn’t be farther from the truth. For the first time in the eleven years he’s been damned as the red ranger, Jayden found someone who somewhat understood him. She was different from the naïve and aloof girl he had met when they were ten, the girl he had developed a crush on solely because she was _different,_ his first friend his age, a sense of excitement and a want to do his best. Not for himself, he had always accepted that he’d always be in the shadow of Lauren Shiba, not that he blamed his sister at all. She was the first female red ranger in eighteen generations- the first female red ranger in its entirety. Jayden loved his big sister as much as he could with a four-year age gap and not seeing her in person in eleven years. He’d always just accepted his role as Lauren’s replacement, knowing that, compared to her, he wouldn’t be the one people wanted to save the world. He had thought that he was fine with it- until Brooke popped into his life.

She had been taller than him back then but was still hidden behind Nate, as if her father was an impenetrable wall that could protect her from the fear she had felt. But once that fear had lessened, and a sense of trust formed between the two, Jayden was enchanted by Brooke. Not just her- the way she talked about her own life, not that it was perfect, but it seemed so _normal._ There was no training to worry about, no practicing symbol power until there were everlasting burn scars. There was no competition of who was the best- and maybe that’s why Jayden wanted to keep her around for as long as he could. It was the first person in his life who viewed him as _Jayden-_ just Jayden. He was just Jayden, and she was just Brooke. However, he wanted to impress her, to make it look like he was the best at what he did. He still did, stupidly enough, and he was in-tune enough with his emotions to know that’s where the irrational jealousy stemmed from. He wanted to, and still partially wants to, be the one that Brooke showed full interest in, whether it be romantically or platonically. However, he also knew that was an incredibly unhealthy and toxic way of viewing his relationship with her, so he tried to ignore that. It wasn't easy, but he tried.

“You’ve been staring at me for the past five minutes, Red. What’s up, are you alright?” Brooke’s groggy voice snapped him out of his thoughts, Jayden blinking owlishly at her for a couple of moments as his brain went back into the state where it screamed at him that he had things to do. Which he did.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Sorry, I got lost in thought.” Pink rose to his cheeks and the tips of his ears, Jayden wearing his almost typical bashful expression. It was an expression Brooke found cute, extremely so, but she was still somewhat annoyed that he wasn’t lying beside her. So, she didn’t want to think _too positively_ about him- but she knew she was bullshitting herself at this point, and doing a very poor job at it.

God, she wanted to know what it felt like to kiss him. To make Jayden Shiba hers and hers alone- in more ways than one. A part of him, despite him being an excellent swordsman and a seasoned warrior, carried a childlike innocence. And Brooke’s mind was conflicted on what she thought about that because part of her wanted to shelter him, to make sure he didn’t see how utterly disgusting the world was outside of his bubble, outside of the world he’s grown up with. Another part of her wanted to destroy that innocence herself, but those weren’t thoughts she should be having about her leader or childhood friend.

So, she shoved those thoughts to the back of her mind, humming in thought for a moment. “Sure seems like you were thinking hard. Now,” Brooke started, sitting up and wrapping her arms around Jayden’s torso, readjusting her position so that he couldn’t leave. Not that he looked like he wanted to. “Care to explain why you, _so rudely,_ woke me up and are planning to leave me at almost 5 in the morning? Because surely your thoughts aren’t that important.” She questioned, her tone becoming more and more teasing with every word.

“You’re so insufferable.” Jayden retorted in faux annoyance, and could practically see the grin growing on Brooke’s lips without actually turning his head to look at her.

“I know, but that doesn’t answer my question, does it?”

_“Oh my god,_ how do I put up with you?” This time he did turn his head to shoot his childhood friend a glare and she feigned innocence, grey eyes flashing from where Brooke peered over his shoulder. She didn’t respond directly, only humming and proceeding to bury her face into the crook of his neck. Jayden reciprocated by tracing various kanji on one of the arms that held him with his fingertips, letting out another sigh. “I have to have a meeting with Ji. It’s a “team evaluation”, so I just talk about how I think you and the others are faring, stuff like that.” He answered her question, but from Brooke’s groan that was muffled by his neck- it was an answer that she didn’t want to hear.

“Fuck the meeting, stay here. You look like you need the sleep as much as I do, if not more. Y’know what,” Brooke announced, lifting her head from the crook of his neck. "I'll go to the meeting for you- the silver and red rangers always fought over who would-be leader, but you've been leader this whole time. And I've been an _absolute angel_ to fight with, in fact, I believe I should get the best score outta everyone. I'll go to the meeting and tell Ji to pass me with flying colors." She decided, Jayden rolling his eyes with a faint laugh.

_I want to stay like this,_ he thought, not voicing it aloud because he _knew_ Brooke would probably tease him for it. She seemed to be in that kind of mood this morning- the mood that made Jayden want to throttle her and kiss her at the same time. However, he kept his thoughts silent, thinking for a moment before speaking. "It's not a grade, but go on. Tell me how you'd go about this." He suggested, turning his head so he could see the way Brooke's eyes brightened as she rambled on. There was no pattern between her sentences, her quickly jumping from one topic to another so fast it nearly gave Jayden whiplash. But, he still listened, the corners of his lips turned upwards.

However, all good things come to an end. Brooke was talking about a _Natural Geographic_ documentary about wolves, which wasn't a surprise for Jayden. She seemed to know so much bizarre information about wolves, but it made sense since she technically _was_ one. And another one was curled on her bed, still sleeping soundly. Amaris was a surprisingly heavy sleeper for someone who was usually so protective, but it most likely meant she felt safe enough to relax and fall asleep. Jayden could relate in that regard, as any tension he held has left his body, as Brooke's fingers were running through his hair again. It was such a simple action, yet it made him so _unbelievably_ at peace, that was until she said something that caused the reason as to why he was up earlier than usual to resurface.

"And then when another wolf crosses into another wolf's territory, it's an instant fight, pretty much. There's no real reason for it, no meeting to discuss- _meeting._ " Brooke cut herself off, her hands dropping from his hair so she could push him off of her.

Jayden had the same thought process, scrambling out of the bed quickly and accidentally hitting Amaris in the process. She cracked open an eye at that, her ears flicking in what seemed like annoyance as she raised her head, letting out a yawn. She said nothing, her violet eyes flickering between the two rangers, the silver looking somewhat guilty and the red looking somewhat stressed out. However, his stressed expression broke when he read the clock.

"I still have time," Jayden thought aloud, turning his attention back to Brooke. "Don't feel guilty, I stayed because I wanted to. It's all fine," He could just tell Ji he slept through his alarm, which has happened on more than one occasion. Luckily enough, his brain usually screamed at him to get up early anyway, so at least he didn't embarrass himself by showing up late to training. Because he _knew_ that Mike and Antonio would give him shit for it. "Anyways, I have to go, but, I enjoy spending mornings with you. If I could stay for longer, I would." Jayden promised, Brooke's eyes flashing as she tilted her head upwards slightly.

It took a moment for Jayden to register what that action meant, but he could feel the heat creeping onto his cheeks as he walked back over to where she was sitting. Grey eyes were shining with silent victory, and it somehow caused him to get even more flustered. He knew Brooke had him wrapped around her finger, but he didn't care. He's giving and receiving, the affection his body _craved,_ and it felt good. It felt good when he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead- lingering for a bit longer than necessary. He just hoped the action conveyed the words he wanted to say.

"Good morning," Jayden murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. Brooke returned the greeting by grabbing the collar of his shirt, forcing his face to come closer to hers. He didn't object, a warm hand coming up to cradle her cheek, their noses brushing together. It was then Brooke spoke, her voice barely audible even though the two were in complete silence.

"Good morning." _I love you._

* * *

For the rest of the morning, Brooke was in a good mood. After waiting about an hour or so, she got dressed into her training uniform, but she was in no rush. It was only almost seven, and training usually started at eight, but she preferred eating alone compared to with the others first thing in the morning. Not that she didn't dislike the team, it was just sometimes overwhelming to deal with all of the noise first thing. Still, she enjoyed the times where she ate with them- which was rarely. Kevin was usually out jogging, and Mia had now started joining him, saying she wanted to start being more productive in the mornings. That meant she didn't have time to make breakfast, which the team was immensely thankful for. It was hard to avoid eating Mia's cooking without coming off as rude, but the six other rangers didn't want to make themselves sick before training started. The thought alone made Brooke shake her head with a small sigh, snapping out of her thoughts as she put on her training sneakers, tying the laces quickly.

With that, she scratched behind Amaris' ears, the white wolf fast asleep, leaving her room. Shutting the door behind her, Brooke subconsciously found herself glancing at Jayden's door, her eyes flashing. With the way their rooms were placed, the girls' being on the left side of the hallway and the boys' being on the right, it was set up in the order of when each ranger joined the team. For example, Jayden's room was the one farthest down the hall on the left side, while Antonio's was the one closest to the end, Mike and Kevin's rooms being in the middle. On the right side, Mia's room was the one at the end of the hall, then Emily's, then Brooke's. The seven usually kept their doors shut, but now Brooke was wondering if Jayden was now in his room or still in his meeting with Ji. She almost wanted to check, to see if she could have one more moment alone with him, but decided against it, shaking her head faintly and starting her walk towards the kitchen.

Her sneakers were silent against the wooden floors as she walked, grey eyes flashing as she scanned the area. The scents the others carried had faded, only the usual smell of wood remained. It was a smell that had become strangely comforting- but it didn't carry the same warmth as Jayden's cologne or the smell of cinnamon that always filled Mary's apartment when she opened the café. It was a smell Brooke surprisingly missed, but she knew she couldn't go back, or at least not until she worked up the courage to apologize. Even though she didn't even know she _should_ apologize, as she had figuratively disowned herself from the Wolfe family when she figured out what Mary had done. What Jane had done.

_Enough of that,_ Brooke chided herself, running a hand over her face. She was having a good morning, and she didn't want to ruin it for herself by thinking about things that made her upset. Plus, it was just a generally shitty thing to think about, so she tried blocking those thoughts out as she walked into the kitchen. It was empty- so Jayden was probably still in his meeting with Ji. Which was fine, Brooke just falling into a routine she was familiar with. She was usually the first one up when she lived at Mary's as well, as she used to have to drive herself to Greensbrook to get to school. So she had become accustomed to the silence, it was strangely comforting. Making herself a quick breakfast of toast and jam, Brooke sat down on her usual stool, sorting through her mental checklist of the day. There was a peaceful silence, a moment of tranquility.

That tranquility was broken when Brooke heard the sound of footsteps approaching, the peachy scent Mia carried filling her nostrils. "Morning." The silver ranger greeted the pink, laughing quietly when she was taken aback.

"You're so quiet sometimes! Good morning," Mia returned the greeting with her own, falling into her usual morning routine as well. A comfortable silence fell over the two black-haired rangers, the only sound being the sound of a knife hitting a cutting board, Mia's thick ponytail swinging as she made breakfast. She was dressed in her running clothes, a pair of black spandex capris, and a pink polyester long-sleeved shirt. "Oh, I forgot to ask, but how did training with Emily go? It was kind of unlike her to ask." She added, and Brooke cringed slightly, gritting her teeth at the remembrance of last night.

"It… went," Brooke muttered, her eyes flashing as she brought her glass of orange juice up to her mouth to somewhat muffle her voice. When Mia turned around to shoot her a quizzical look, she set down her glass with a sigh. "It was my fault, honestly. She said she wanted to be like me because I was tough- and I kinda came off as a bitch. I feel guilty about it, y'know?" She explained, guilt starting to work its way onto her face as her eyes flashed.

Mia hummed in thought for a moment, setting down the inappropriately large knife she was using to dice an apple. "I wouldn't worry about it, it happens to the best of us. Plus, I bet you both were tired, and that usually never helps when trying to have conversations like that." The pink ranger reassured the silver, brown eyes meeting grey-gold.

"...Yeah, I'm sure it'll work out," Brooke agreed after a couple of moments of silence, the corners of her mouth twitching upward ever-so-slightly. "You're better than the big sister thing than I am, y'know that? But, thanks. I appreciate you listening to me." She added, Mia blinking in surprise as the faintest hint of pink dusted her cheeks.

"There's no need to thank me, I'm happy to be here. I'm happy I can help," Mia replied, her tone soft. However, it didn't last for long, as she instantly brightened up again. "Oh! Also, did you hear about the big sale that's going on today? I wanted you and Em to join me!" She beamed, Brooke laughing faintly.

"Not the annual back-to-school sale," Brooke joked, finishing the last of the orange juice in her glass and sliding off of her stool. "But, in all seriousness, that sounds like fun. Let me know when you're going." She agreed, Mia nodding happily with a small smile on her face.

With that, the morning started like any other. After another hour, training had begun, and Brooke found herself having the outdoor dojo all to herself. Which was good, because while she did have a specific empty room she used to practice the despair symbol, she found herself hitting the wall more than she liked. So, not having to worry about things like that was nice. Though, it was the only nice thing about the whole endeavor, as it didn't get any easier to master the despair symbol. Still, Brooke reminded herself that it was a game of persistence and determination as she picked herself back up off of the ground, picking up her discarded samuraizer. Drawing the symbol again, she stared at it for a moment before letting out a tired sigh.

_"Despair."_ She activated the symbol, bracing herself for the kickback. It was supposedly easier if she braced herself- but it never got much easier. The impact of her back hitting the ground always hurt, and it usually became a dull throb by the end of her "training". Brooke didn't even really know if this counted as training, because it seemed like she was getting nowhere. Which was aggravating as all hell, and she bit back curses as she picked herself back up off of the ground. Spotting her samuraizer, she staggered over to it, only for a second hand to reach out and swipe the device away from her at the last second. That caused Brooke to shoot a look of confusion at Mia, who was now holding Brooke's open samuraizer in her hand.

"You've done enough today. Besides," Mia started, flipping Brooke's samuraizer shut. "You promised to go shopping with me and Em today, remember? We don't want to go have fun without you." She finished, Brooke's eyes flashing as a bittersweet smile worked its way onto her face.

She truly felt guilty for not working on the despair symbol more, but she _did_ want to go out and try to experience something of a regular life. Plus she knew if she stayed, Jayden would just tell her to stop in a little while anyway. So, there was no point in _not_ going. "I did, thanks for reminding me," Brooke agreed, taking her samuraizer back from Mia and flashing her a small smile. "Let me get changed, and I'll meet you at the front door." She added as the two walked back into the Shiba House, Mia setting off to find Emily with a nod.

Brooke was about to walk into her room when she heard the sound of a door opening, turning her attention to the end of the hall. It was Jayden- who was now dressed in his training uniform, subconsciously running a hand through his hair as he shut the door behind him. "Heya, Red," Brooke greeted, leaning against her door and crossing her arms over her chest. "Do meetings usually last that long?" She wondered, Jayden smiling faintly.

"Yeah, they do. Not how I really want to spend my mornings, but I'm obligated to do it." His tone held a twinge of bitterness, Jayden letting out a sigh and rubbing his tired eyes. Truthfully, the meeting almost put him to sleep, they almost always did. It was worse than usual, however, because he knew he should be sleeping better. If it affected his performance in battle, he wouldn't hear the end of it, also feeling guilty about it. _Ah, the life of being the red ranger._ Still, he shook those thoughts out of his mind and turned his attention back to Brooke. "What're you up to? You usually never stop this early." He pointed out, her waving her hand nonchalantly.

"Mia wanted me to join her and Emily in shopping. Plus, both Casper's and Maxx's birthdays are coming up, so I wanted to get presents for them," Brooke answered, shrugging. She wanted to see both her brother and best friend for their birthdays, as they usually all spent their birthdays together, but she doubted it could happen. Not unless she felt like letting a nighlok run rampantly around Panorama- which is something she never wanted happening. So, she wanted to make up for her absence by getting them both something nice. Not that they would be mad for being flaky, well, at least Casper wouldn't. Maxx, she didn't know, it's not like Brooke has had a meaningful conversation with her little brother in a while. She didn't even know if he knew about Nate and the whole ordeal with Jane, she was too scared to figuratively open Pandora's box and bring it up.

"Gotta be a good sister and friend, y'know? Plus, I miss them both," She admitted, her eyes flashing. "I owe it to them to at least make an effort to be in their lives." Her clawed hand curled around her doorknob as a new feeling of bitterness stabbed her in the heart. She did miss them, she was missing all of the things she planned to do with Casper- graduate together, go to college, and always have his back. And Maxx… she had been a shitty sister while she had been around, so Brooke had wanted to make it up to him. She wanted to be the one who taught him how to drive and just _be there for him._ But that couldn't happen. At least, not anytime soon.

"I'm sure they'll appreciate it," Jayden murmured, walking forward and gently placing a hand on Brooke's shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze. "Have fun with Mia and Emily, you deserve a break." He added, Brooke's eyes flashing as she looked up at him.

"You should take your own advice," She teased, smiling faintly. "But, thank you. Try not to miss me too much." Brooke teased, Jayden rolling his eyes in faux annoyance.

"I'll try. You make it difficult." He retorted, his hand dropping from Brooke's shoulder. She snickered at his words, flashing him a cheeky grin and then making her way into her room, Jayden going back to his usual morning routine.

* * *

The stores, as expected, were busy. Still, Brooke stood out like a sore thumb- towering over some of the pedestrians in her platforms, she saw some people glance at her, but shrugged it off, shadowing Mia and Emily. They had been drawn to their respective colors, ironically enough, the clothes that they wanted to try on being a mixture of mainly pink and yellow. There was some grey and black as well, Brooke picking up a pair of high-waisted black and grey plaid pants and a cropped black crew-neck sweatshirt. She had also planned to buy a new leather jacket for Casper, as one of his birthday presents, to make up for the fact that she had practically stolen his. Other than that, Brooke didn't see anything that she wanted, nor anything she couldn't live without. She had always found it hard to shop for herself, as she usually rotated through the same pairs of jeans and shorts, calling it a day. Especially now, due to the fact she wanted to wear clothes that were easier to fight in because sometimes the rangers did fight unmorphed. So, it was difficult branching out from what she was comfortable with.

Still, she found herself gravitating towards the shoe section, eyeing a pair of platform boots with interest. Brooke knew her platforms were on their last leg- it was only a matter of time before the sole of her boot came off entirely. Still, she resisted the idea of parting with them, as she's had them for four years. Plus, breaking in a new pair of boots was tough, but she _did_ do enough running to break them in quickly, thanks to being a ranger and sprinting around Panorama to fight nighlok. Coming to a quick conclusion, Brooke's eyes flashed as she scanned the self for her shoe size, finding the boots in her size and pulling them off of the self. She sat down at the nearest bench and untied one of her platforms, only to turn her attention back to Mia and Emily when they called her name.

So, Brooke tied her shoe and put the box back on the self, walking back over to the two girls. They both had small mountains of clothes in their arms, her looking at them in amusement. "Ready to try stuff on?" She asked, and when the two nodded, the three set off to find a fitting room.

It wasn't long until they found one, a pseudo fashion show commencing with the three girls. Well, it was mostly Mia and Emily, but Brooke did joke around with the two here and there. The three danced along to the pop music playing through the speakers the fitting room offered until Emily dressed into an ensemble consisting of camo pants, a white t-shirt, combat boots, and aviator sunglasses. The outfit caused Brooke and Mia to share a look because the outfit was _completely_ out of Emily's usual style. Still, she seemed rather impressed with herself, crossing her head over her chest and tilting her head upwards slightly.

"So, is this a tough look, or what?" Emily wondered, the other two rangers struggling to find the right words for a moment.

"Emily, it's interesting, but… Nah." Mia answered, Brooke nodding faintly in agreement as her eyes flashed.

"But what? I'm just trying to be as tough as you and others." Emily argued, her voice soft. She turned her attention to the mirror, settling into a fighting stance, Brooke nodding at Mia to take the lead. She didn't feel like replaying last night's events again, _especially_ not in a dressing room.

Mia walked over, the pink ranger placing a comforting hand on the yellow's shoulder. "Em, you're tough, in your own way." She reassured her, a gentle smile on her face. Brooke quickly chimed in, saving the conversation and switching the topic, trying to make sure the mood of the day was ruined. So, she just started joking, and it had worked, as Emily and Mia were soon laughing along as they tried on different clothes.

Then, after trying on different clothes and deciding on what to buy, the girls paid for their clothes, Brooke settling on buying the new platform boots and a boot cleaning kit, standing near the cashier as she waited for Mia and Emily to pay. Still, she felt her body subconsciously tense as she felt two pairs of eyes on her, grey eyes flashing as she scanned the store, landing on a somewhat familiar face. It was the boy from the factory, the one who wanted to be a samurai, and a person who was presumably his friend. The two ducked behind a shoe rack when they saw Brooke inspecting them, said ranger shaking her head with a faint sigh. She didn't feel like dealing with other people at the moment, as she was starting to reach her limit and the sounds and smells of all of the different people in the stores were starting to get overwhelming. Still, Emily and Mia were having a good time, so Brooke kept her complaints to herself as she left the store. It was a little less overwhelming on the street, so she found that Emily and Mia's happy moods were contagious, joking and laughing along with the two girls as they walked down the street.

Still, the happy mood fell as Brooke's samuraizer beeped, her readjusting the shopping bags in her hand so she could take her samuraizer out of the pocket out of the silver bomber jacket she was wearing. Flipping the device open, she pulled up the map of Panorama, scanning it and coming up with a route. Before she took off, though, she stopped in a nearby alleyway, Amaris appearing when they were out-of-sight of the pedestrians.

"Heya, I'm sorry to make you my servant, but can you take these back to the Shiba House?" Brooke asked, setting her shopping bags on the ground and nodding to Mia and Emily. They seemed to get a general idea, setting their bags on the ground as well, Amaris' ears flicking as she surveyed the number of bags for a moment.

_"I am able to, there is no need to apologize,"_ Amaris answered, gently closing her mouth on the handles of the shopping bags.

Brooke smiled faintly, bending down and scratching behind her ears as a silent "thank you", Amaris' tail wagging happily as she disappeared in a flash of silver. "She's the best," She beamed before her expression settled into one of determination and confidence. "You guys ready to fight?" The silver ranger asked the yellow and pink, the three breaking off into a sprint when they nodded.

* * *

The three regrouped with the rest of the team on the way, the seven rangers making their way to the city plaza. The seven stood in their usual line, but their confident expressions faltered slightly when they saw what the nighlok was _doing_ to the pedestrians. Or at least that's what Brooke gathered, her eyes not settling on a color as she scanned the area- which had quickly become a clusterfuck. Numerous people seemed almost _feral,_ shoving each other out of the way to hurriedly shove food, and various condiments from a nearby hot dog stand, down their throats, as if their lives depended on it. However, she snapped her attention to the nighlok, pushing those thoughts to the back of her mind. Despite it being one of the weirder nighlok attacks the team has seen in a while, it was still just a nighlok. Just another monster to deal with to make the world a little safer.

"That's enough, nighlok!" Jayden yelled to the nighlok, who was seemingly enjoying the scene it had created.

However, it quickly turned around at the sound of the red ranger's voice, revealing the numerous mouths and eyes that adorned its head. "Look who came to dinner! The samurai rangers," The nighlok greeted, launching into its monologue before the seven could ask what the monster did to the pedestrians. "My black dirt creates an appetite for destruction! Now, these dummies will eat, and eat, and eat!" The monster cackled, the pedestrians too caught up in shoving food down their throats to even notice what in actuality was going on.

The seven nodding at each other, they repeated the familiar action that they had done several times before. Taking their samuraizers out of their pockets, Antonio also doing the same with his morpher, they flipped the devices open, Brooke activating the brush portion of hers. _"Go go samurai!"_ The seven rangers called I'm unison, quickly drawing (or texting) their respective kanji and morphing into their suits. With that, they unsheathed their blades and ran into battle, quickly starting to deal with the moogers that the nighlok had summoned.

Overall, it was a relatively easy fight, but Brooke tried not to underestimate the nighlok. It wasn't clear what exact attack the monster could have planned, but the moogers were just blade fodder. Fighting next to Jayden was always nice as well, as the two usually moved in silent harmony, following up each other's attacks without having to say a word. The two fought in comfortable silence, well, it wasn't necessarily silence, as moogers were falling with loud squeals and they could hear the sound of their teammates firing off witty remarks as they fought. But, the thought was there, Brooke spinning one of her katanas in her hand after cutting down one last mooger, her gaze quickly falling on Emily. The yellow ranger had seemingly gotten overwhelmed, the silver getting ready to sprint over and help her, but decided against it when Mike ran up, quickly cutting down moogers with strong strikes. So, Brooke turned her attention to the nighlok, trying to come up with a battle plan- as she kind of wanted to rush the monster and see how she fared.

_"Do not act recklessly."_ Amaris chided, Brooke jumping in surprise slightly as the white wolf's voice rang through her head.

"That's no fun," Brooke muttered, but her eyes quickly widened when she spotted Emily. The yellow ranger didn't have a wolf telling _her_ to not be reckless, as she was trying to take on the nighlok by herself, and failing somewhat miserably. The flash of yellow that signaled that she had demorphed made Brooke cringe as she sheathed her blades, her bones cracking as she shifted.

It was then when everything started to go downhill. Mia and Kevin went to jump in to cover Emily, only to get hit with black dirt, the pink and blue rangers falling to the ground and demorphing. Antonio and Mike went over to help their fallen teammates on Jayden's command, only for the green and gold rangers to get hit with the same dirt and suffer the same fates as the pink and the blue. That left only a ranger and a wolf standing, Jayden and wolf-Brooke landing in front of Emily and striking fighting stances.

"Don't worry, I'll protect-" Jayden started, directing the comment to Emily, but was quickly cut off by a warning bark. He then felt the force of wolf-Brooke slamming into him, which sent him staggering sideways with a noise of surprise. Regaining his bearings quickly, he watched as the brown wolf bared the attack head-on, blue eyes widening underneath his helmet. _That was the last thing he wanted happening,_ and Jayden quickly had to shove down the usual annoyance that rose when he saw one of his teammates so obviously take a hit for him.

_Red, I love you, but FUCK you,_ Brooke thought, watching as her blatant sacrifice went up in flames. She had slammed herself into Jayden to make sure he didn't get hit- as he could most likely handle the nighlok by himself if need be. Now, as she felt her body forcibly shift back, she watched as the nighlok's dirt made contact with his chest. So now, Brooke was regretting every decision she had made in the battle as her ranger suit disappeared in a flash of silver, but soon her anger got replaced by something much worse. _Hunger._ Her throat suddenly felt too dry, as if someone or something had sucked all of the moisture out of it, her letting out a growl as she subconsciously scratched at the side of her neck. Her claws broke through the skin, leaving gashes that quickly bled as well, but the pain was secondary, very much so. She didn't even hear the nighlok, barely making out its figure as it dried out and disappeared into a crack in a flash of red.

Instead, she was choking, her heartbeat pounding in her ears as black spots decorated her vision. Brooke knew the feeling, her eyes widening as she forced herself to her feet, stumbling in place as she scanned the area for an escape route. _Run. Before you hurt someone,_ Her mind was screaming at her, her chest heaving as she frantically wiped drool off her chin. She was drooling, but her throat still felt _too dry_ , tears pricking her eyes as she felt like a caged animal, frantically looking around for an exit. She couldn't feel Amaris in her mind, and it was only a matter of time before Brooke jumped Jayden because of the cologne he wore.

"Hey… I don't think she's okay." Mike pointed out as he tried to wet his lips, nodding in Brooke's direction.

"Brooke! Hey, Brooke, it's okay," Antonio called to his childhood friend, forcing himself to his feet, staggering over to her. "It's us, you're- _shit."_ He cut himself off, his face paling as Brooke whipped her head around to look at him.

It wasn't even _Brooke anymore,_ more like a mixture of her and her wolf form. Her nose had turned into a snout, brown and white fur sprouting on her face as her eyes narrowed, lips curling back into a snarl as saliva dripped from her canines, which were fully grown in bared, along with her claws. The growl that came from her throat was fully _predatory_ , Antonio instantly taking cautious steps back as her body tensed. However, he didn't put enough distance between the two as she lunged with a snarl, and he squeezed his eyes shut, preparing himself for the collision and most likely pain as the five others yelled out warnings. However, there was only a flash of silver, and with that, Brooke was gone.

* * *

The smell of blood was what woke her up, Brooke letting out a groan as she cracked open her eyes, only to instantly shut them again. A migraine instantly made itself present, a wave of nausea hitting her at full force. Based on the fact that she was laying on a rock, which was digging into her lower back, and the faint sounds of small animals running through the underbrush and the rustling of leaves on trees, she concluded that she was in the woods. The smell of blood also made her conclude that she had wolfed out as well, just the thought alone causing Brooke to grit her teeth. She didn't remember much- only the battle beforehand and pushing Jayden out of the way to take the nighlok's attack head-on. After that, it was all hazy, but she was okay with that. She had a feeling that the memories would be more bad than good, and she had learned her lesson of not tracking down missing memories because of what happened with Mary, anyways.

"Fuck this." Brooke groaned as she forced herself to sit up, swallowing down bile as her head spun. Blinking rapidly to stop her blurry vision, she surveyed the area, trying to figure out where she was. She knew she would have to go back, _she needed to go back._ If a nighlok showed up while she was in her current state, she knew it wouldn't end well. And dying or getting seriously injured was _not_ on her agenda, so she knew she had to get moving.

Pushing herself to her feet, she tried to ignore the sheer amount of blood that coated her hands. The side of her neck also stung, which was another thing that Brooke couldn't remember happening. It was always a surprise to see how she turned out after wolfing out, and this time was seemingly worse than the others. The fatigue she felt was _immense,_ far greater than she usually felt, her entire body throbbing as she started walking. Brooke tried calling on Amaris, but that was useless as well, as her call was met with silence. Even her emotional support wolf wasn't available, and while the team was always an option, she'd take walking. One of the last things she needed or wanted, was their sympathy. Or fear, because that was an option. Brooke didn't even know if they were hurt. If she had hurt them, she wouldn't forgive herself, the picture of her teammates and friends getting mauled by a wolf increasing her nausea tenfold. It caused her stomach to lurch, Brooke swallowing down bile as she tried not to gag.

_Don't think. Don't think,_ she chided, repeating the mantra as if it were a prayer in her head. _Thinking makes things worse, you know that._ Taking a deep breath, Brooke turned her attention to her surroundings, rather than her thoughts. By the position that the sky was in, it hanging high in the sky, it was only around midday. Her day was still over, though, because there was no way she could function after _this mess._ It took all of her willpower and basic survival skills to not just curl up into a ball on the ground and fall asleep.

Those same survival skills kicked in when Brooke heard another pair of footsteps crunching through leaves on the ground. The footsteps were heavy, the person walking a normal pace in strides, but she instantly knew who they belonged to. Only one person smelt like a damp cave with a faint scent of nighlok, and that person was _Deker._ Her heart rate increased at the thought, and Brooke knew she was too tired to fight. So, she just had to pick a god and pray. Luckily, wolfing out caused her to appear mostly emotionless, so hopefully, the half-human couldn't see the fear that was causing her to internally panic. Brooke was hoping, at least, because Deker saw fear as a weakness. Which it was, in some cases, but sometimes it came in handy. Like now, as she was actively planning an escape route if things went south. She knew she couldn't shift to make running in the woods easier, but she was still stable-footed enough so that she wasn't slowed by any obstacles or tree roots. With that reassuring thought in mind, Brooke took a deep breath, turning her attention to the direction Deker was walking.

The two dark-haired half-humans made eye-contact, sizing each other up for a moment. Brooke was the first one to break the silence, wetting her lips and inwardly cringing at the taste of deer and rabbit blood. "Didn't know I had fans," She greeted, her voice monotone as she shoved her hands into the pockets of the silver bomber jacket she was wearing, the fabric being streaked with blood. "If you're looking for a fight, you're going to be disappointed. So don't waste your breath." Her hand curled around her samuraizer in her pocket, so she could morph quickly if needed. Not that her lack of energy would get her very far in that regard, but it was better than nothing.

"I've heard about your kind, but this proves my point. We're not so different, you and I." Deker ignored Brooke's statement, stopping in his tracks so that there were about eight feet between the two. He had his sword in hand- his substitute sword, as it seemed like Uramasa was still broken. Not that Brooke was upset about that, she hoped it stayed broken. She had hoped that Deker would've stayed dead.

_"My kind?_ Seriously?" Brooke scoffed, tightening her grip on her samuraizer. All the while she was screaming inwardly, hoping that Amaris would read her thoughts soon enough and get her out of here. _This was dangerous_ , incredibly so. It was dangerous when she was in top shape, let alone when she wanted to throw up on Deker's boots. However, she knew that would lead to an instant death wish, so she swallowed down bile before she spoke again. "Didn't know you wanted to watch a wolf go feral. Or did you want to _relive some memories?_ I'm sure you immensely enjoy the pain you've caused." She wasn't even filtering the words that came out of her mouth, and that was another dangerous game. Still, she wanted to piss him off and then make a run for it. Like she did with curfew police when she was younger.

"Unlike you, I can control myself," Deker corrected matter-of-factly, a small self-satisfied smirk growing on his lips. Still, it fell rather quickly as he lazily raised his blade and pointed in at Brooke, who tensed, settling into a defensive stance without a second thought. "As for a battle, I'm not looking for that at the moment. Not until my sword, Uramasa is fixed," His arm and sword dropped to his side, Deker raising his chin slightly to shoot Brooke a curious look. "I've heard a great deal about you from Serrator, it's clear he shows an interest in you. It seemed he both damned us into these fates, directly or indirectly," He stated, only to be met with silence. Brooke was just staring at him with a deadpan expression, grey eyes narrowed slightly. "We wish for the same things. Humanity- lives to live." He added, and that was when her deadpan expression faltered.

_He wasn't wrong,_ and that pissed Brooke off. She hated the fact that she seemingly had more in common with Deker than her little brother. "I won't deny that. However, _I_ don't go challenging random people to battles because I want my humanity back. _You do,"_ She pointed out, racking her mind for something that she could use as a retort. However, it was all only radio static, and she was now struggling to keep her eyes open. She needed to keep moving, to keep herself awake enough to at least reach the outside of the Shiba House, so she could be in the safety of the protection symbols that covered the property. "Look, I'm sure you have better things to do than debate in the woods. So, what's your story? Why'd you decide to show up here? More importantly, why do you want to talk to me? If you're looking to _rile me up_ or whatever, I'm too tired to give a shit." Brooke spat, removing her hands from her pockets and starting to walk in the direction opposite of Deker. She didn't even know if it was the right way or not, but she quickly stopped in her tracks when her samuraizer started beeping. Pulling the device out of her pocket, she flipped it open, bringing up the map of Panorama. The nighlok was apparently in some remote location, and Brooke just hoped the team could handle it without her. She'd just be a dead weight anyway.

"Why do you still associate yourself with them?" Deker questioned, Brooke turning around to find him inspecting the device in her hand with curiosity. "They're part of the reason you turned out the way you did." He pointed out, Brooke flipping her samuraizer shut and putting it back into her pocket.

_It's all I really have,_ Brooke thought, running a blood-covered hand over her face. "You said it yourself. We're damned into these fates, might as well play my part," She answered, waving her hand in dismissal with a shrug. "I could say the same for you, y'know that, right? You're working with Serrator, even if it's temporary, and he's the one who made you who you are." She argued, and for once, Deker was quiet. Which was rather satisfying in its own right.

"...We're both pawns to the _creatures_ that made us," Deker agreed after a couple of moments of silence, and he cut Brooke off quickly when she opened her mouth to argue. "You're lying to yourself if you say they're not using you. They're going to feel fear when you return, for their safeties, not for yours. They're going to see the beast their ally truly is." He stated, an expression of hurt crossing Brooke's face, but her expression quickly hardened.

"That's not true," Brooke spat, but her wavering voice gave her fear away. She hoped that _wasn't_ the case when she walked back, because she wouldn't know what to do then. _Should she even go back?_ "They've accepted me before, this time will be no different." It was for herself rather than Deker, and he seemed to know that, as he just simply shrugged.

"See for yourself." With that, he disappeared with a flash of heatless purple flames, leaving Brooke alone, who was trying her best not to spiral. Her feet were rooted in the same spot, and she wasn't surprised to feel tears pricking her eyes as she stared at the area where Deker had just stood. _He was probably right._

* * *

Brooke reached the Shiba House around the same time the team had returned, but she didn't stay around for long. She didn't want to, as she saw the fear in the six's expressions when she walked through the front door. Even Jayden and Antonio, who looked even more scared than the others. The gold ranger had very obviously _put distance_ between himself and the blood-covered silver ranger, who acknowledged in and quickly left the room. Not even Amaris could help Brooke when she started spiraling, the white wolf just watching in worry as she quickly shut herself in her bathroom without a word.

_Deker was right,_ that was the alone thing that Brooke's mind could focus on as she scrubbed the blood off of her body. Even when her skin was clean, she still felt disgusting, the water temperature burning at her skin as she tried to scrub her skin raw. Everything she had done didn't help- _Deker was right._ She hated the fact that he was right, and hated the fact that it hurt so much. She didn't talk to the others, as it was easier to avoid the situation rather than deal with the potential heartbreak. She couldn't cry, she didn't allow herself to cry. Somewhere in her mind, Brooke knew that it would happen eventually. She'd scare the people she cared about, as that _did_ happen before, and history had a funny way of repeating itself. And she found herself dealing with the same heartbreak the only way that she knew how. By turning to old habits, and old acquaintances that let her indulge in these habits.

If Casper could see her now, Brooke knew he'd be pissed. She knew she was making so many people disappointed in her, sitting on what was _her supplier of alcohol's_ couch, drinking far too much for someone who was a soldier in a war. A part of her mind was screaming at her for that, but it soon got drowned out by the familiar fuzziness that she had found comforting. All the while, dark eyes watched her with mild curiosity and amusement.

"Thought you went sober." The owner of the eyes stated, who was a man in his early twenties. He pushed some of his dyed black hair out of his face with one hand, his lip ring _clinking_ against the beer bottle that he held in the other as he brought it to his lips. His name was Alex Hawthorne, he and Brooke met at an ABC store when she almost got caught using a fake I.D. to buy alcohol. By then she was already addicted, and Alex had found a sense of amusement watching Brooke get drunk. Plus, he always enjoyed how… _affectionate_ she would usually get.

Such as now, as she was practically draped across him, a hand running through his dyed hair. "Thought you didn't care," Brooke fired back with a giggle that was extremely out-of-character, gently tugging at Alex's hair in a teasing manner. She had started losing count of how much she drank, and she didn't care, setting the current almost empty bottle of straight vodka- the only thing that was truly strong enough to get her shitfaced, on the coffee table that was a couple of feet away from the couch that the two sat. "Don't be a buzzkill now." She cooed, feeling as Alex pulled her into his lap, lazily wrapping her arms around his neck with a lopsided smile.

"I don't," Alex responded, setting down his beer. Brooke's hands ended up back in his hair, grey eyes shining with an almost childlike amusement when a groan reverberated in the back of his throat. Deep in their minds, they knew this was both wrong. They knew, but at that moment, they didn't care.

His hands were colder than Jayden's, but Brooke soon found her mind going blank as a feeling of euphoria washed over her. She had forgotten what it was like to feel like this- feeling hands grabbing her waist and buried in her hair. Alex's mouth draws a hot path from her lips to her neck, a rough hand pushing the fabric of the sleeveless turtleneck she wore away from her neck, finding a place to settle and mark. Impatient hands tug at the shirt he's wearing, the black t-shirt soon being pulled off and thrown somewhere haphazardly in the room, hitting an empty bottle and sending it toppling on its side. Brooke faintly hears beeping from her leather jacket that was discarded along with her platforms the moment she walked in, but it was soon forgotten when she felt a hand tug at her shirt, it soon receiving the same fate as Alex's. She then found herself in another room entirely, bouncing and giggling when she found herself laying on his bed.

In her hazy vision, she sees Alex towering over her, the tattoos covering his left arm and bicep turning into shapeless blobs of color. She had forgotten what this felt like, closing her eyes as hands caress her skin. Eventually, most of her clothes end up discarded and the hands that were holding her and working her apart from the inside became much warmer. Feeling as lips and teeth left bruises and bite marks, Brooke cracked open her eyes, grey eyes meeting dark eyes that soon became a brilliant blue. The same blue she fell in love with- and that was her breaking point. 


End file.
